Nov 13 WR

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YOUR LOCAL PAPER

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Vol. 42, No. 46

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Holden's 40th Concert Series kicks off

Patricia Harcourt Editor

The Beaver Regional Arts Society kicked off its 40th anniversary concert series with a show by the ever popular, "The Emeralds," a band that made "The Bird Dance" an international hit. Held in a beautiful old-style theatre in Holden, the society has being putting on shows there from 1979 until the present. The building was called the Beaver Regional Arts Centre until 2016 when it was renamed Paragon, after its earlier original days as a movie theatre. The Paragon Theatre was built in 1952 and

operated as a movie theatre until about 1964, when it closed until 1978. Beaver County Recreation and Parks Administrator George Baker had a dream in the 1970s of starting a regional arts centre for the people, and the county bought the Paragon building for $1. The arts society was formed in 1976, and took over the facility with a formal opening of March 17, 1979. "We are proud that the Beaver Regional Arts Society has reached this milestone," said Society President Christine Mackay, prior to the beginning of the show

last Sunday. "And we are celebrating 40 years of performances which included music, dance, theatre, and comedy presented by a great number of artists," she said. "It has taken countless hours of hard work, fundraising, grants, and financial contributions to make the vision of turning the closed movie theatre into a performing arts centre a reality. "The 285-seat facility formally opened on March 17, 1979. It has also taken countless hours of hard work and dedication by our many volunteers for the last 40 years to achieve the See CONCERT P3

Christine Mackay (far left), President of the Beaver Regional Arts Society, and Ben Lutz (far right), society board member, speak to the crowd at the society's 40th Anniversary celebration at the Paragon Theatre on Sunday afternoon. Listening in the centre of the two is Allan Broder of The Emeralds band which performed that afternoon as part of the celebrations.


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