Little Theatre planning museum fundraiser

Got a favourite TV show from which you’d like to re-enact a scene? Have people said you’re the spitting image of a TV personality?
Then Fort Frances Little Theatre wants you for a Fort Frances Museum fundraiser it’s planning for this fall.
“We’ve used the museum for free, to rehearse and whatnot, for many years,” noted long-time Little Theatre member Laurie Walsh. “So we’re doing something for the museum to help them raise a little money for the renovations they’ll be doing.
“The theme is going to be ‘TV Through the Ages,’” Walsh added. “We want to get as many people involved as we can.
“If you have a favourite TV show, like ‘All in the Family,’ or a character—maybe you look like Gilligan—we’d like to hear from you.”
Walsh said the fundraiser won’t take place until mid-October, but 10-12 people already have shown an interest in the concept and begun to brainstorm ideas.
For instance, the show likely will be a series of skits covering TV moments from the 1950s to present day. This could include everything from memorable sitcom gags to classic commercials to historic newscasts.
Each decade would be covered in 20-minute segments.
Walsh said it’s likely the show would be performed at the Townshend Theatre either over several nights, or in two performances on a Saturday.
The theatre would be donated for free, so all proceeds would go to museum renovations.
The organizers’ next meeting is slated for this Wednesday (July 20) at 6:30 p.m. at Gillons’ Insurance (326 Church St.)
Walsh said this meeting would be a perfect opportunity for new people to get involved. “We want anybody who wants to get involved in any way to come on out,” he remarked.
The Fort Frances Museum fundraising committee, spearheaded by former mayor Glenn Witherspoon, has been working since the spring to raise funds to help renovate the museum.
The work, which ideally will start this fall and be completed by next summer, will include an entrance to the south of the building, as well as a small addition there to alleviate receiving, crating, and shipping problems.
There also will be changes to the existing building to alleviate circulation and exhibition space problems. New heating, ventilation, air conditioning, safety, security, and electrical systems will be installed, too.
The total cost is expected to be around $900,000.
The committee’s current fundraising goal is set at $75,000 from the local community and $55,000 from other partners (such as the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce and BIA).
The town has a dedicated reserve of $420,000 towards the project, with still more funding to come from senior levels of government.
The museum renovations are part of a larger heritage tourism plan devised by the consulting firm of Hilderman, Thomas, Frank and Cram—a $2,725,974 project that has designated the museum as the centrepiece of a tourism strategy designed to draw visitors to the downtown area and riverfront.