The Shelbyville Middle School Music Department presents the

SMS JAZZ CHOIR

SMS JAZZ BANDS

in concert LIVE at the Strand!   The performance is Thursday May 17, 2012 and starts at 7:00pm.   This is a FREE performance.

Comedy returned to the Strand on May 12, 2012.    The Strand has been fortunate to have comedy due to the help of Todd McComas.    Thank you Todd!

Scott Long, direct from Las Vegas, came to the heart of comedy in Central Indiana, the world renowned Strand Theatre in beautiful downtown Shelbyville.   The eponymous show started with laughter filling the theatre.

Everyone had a great time!

The Shelby County Drug Free Coalition Youth Council hosted a Teen Talent Contest on May 11, 2012.  The show was fun for all.   An esteemed group of judges camped out in the balcony and prepared their edict.

It was a fun and safe night at the Strand for all.

The Strand has certainly kept up with our goal of being a multi-use performing arts center. The past 30 days we have had a wide diversity of programs. Each has been a success and has brought entertainment to our historic downtown. We are pleased to be in the geographical heart of Shelby County. When you put an X on Shelby County, most likely it is on top of the Strand. We think that is great.

Sweet – Sour; Fast – Slow; Kirk – Piccard; Coke – Pepsi…. This past week at the Strand we had a wonderful problem, we ran out of cups. The Shelby County Players plus the SHS Jazz Band brought in so many patrons that our supply of soda cups ran out. Not only did we run out, but it happened on Friday night just before intermission when there were over 300 at the Strand for the play. What could we do?

Fortunately for the Strand concessions staff we had a stash of 16 oz. Coke cups in the basement. These cups were donated by the Skyline Drive-in to the Strand when they transitioned from Coke to Pepsi. The Strand, as most of you know, is a Coke establishment. Coca-Cola has graciously given us the use of our fountain machine with the only provision that we use all Coke products.

When Joey G. changed to Pepsi at the Skyline, he gave us all his Coke items. This included the cups and a drink cooler we now use in our concession area. We used the red and white wax coated cardboard cups on Friday and Saturday. Much to our surprise the Cokes, at least to us, tasted better! It is a little weird. Maybe we are just thinking back to simpler, pre-polystyrene times, but all our volunteers agreed. Next time you are at the Strand try it for yourself…request a Coke cup.

Thank you to the Skyline for generously donating the items and so much more. We are partnering with the Skyline in several events throughout the summer. It will be a fun time for all.

The Shelby County Players finished there very successful run of “Diary of Anne Frank” last Friday. That day they had a special matinee performance for all Shelbyville Middle School 8th grade students. It was interesting seeing the happy go lucky students going into the theatre and seeing the somber and introspective students leave. The play was very powerful and we were thrilled for the SCP success.

The play ended Friday and the cast and crew did a great job striking (that is a theater term for removing) the set. When we had our next event on Saturday morning at 10:00am, the Strand was ready to go! Thank you to all the SCP company members bringing their talent to the Strand and making the transition smooth.

Shelby Idol held auditions on Saturday and Monday. We have been told the talent is outstanding again this year. We look forward to the competition in June. Good luck to the contestants.

Sometimes the Strand is an expensive place to keep going. This week we had yet another unexpected failure. This time it was our marquee. We have talked about the new lights, the old sequencer and the new relays that turn things on and off. (warning, tech talk ahead). This past week we noticed one of the sequence of 4 lights didn’t fully light. We opened up the panel and found that our brand new (and expensive) relays were dying! They lasted exactly 5 weeks and 19 performances. They just couldn’t handle the rapid on-off that our 1930′s sequencer was sending their way. One is now completely dead.

Steve Dennis, the guru of such things, is going to look at the issue this coming week and upgrade the relays to another style. We hope these will be a bit more rugged. We’ll get it right, but things like this take time. We are fortunate that everyone connected with the Strand understands the realities of a 96 year old building. We don’t get bent out of shape every time something breaks. We are very conservative with our funds and never hesitate to fix what is needed. Sometimes we run a little short, then before you know it we have a couple of shows that put us back in the black.

This week we have two fun events. On Friday night the Shelby County Drug Free Coalition Youth Council will be hosting their annual Talent Contest. The show starts at 7:00pm. It will be a fun time and a great opportunity to see our young performers on stage and supporting a drug free life.

Saturday night comedy returns to the Strand. Scott Long and Todd McComas will take the stage for some laughter and fun. This is an adult show. Both these comedians are very funny. Todd has been a great supporter of the Strand and we look forward to welcoming him back.

Thank you for your support. The Strand exists to be a fluid and flexible performing space for our community. We believe strongly that our community is full of talent and deserves great live entertainment. Thank you for help making this a reality for Shelbyville and Shelby County. Happy Mother’s Day and we will see you at the Strand!

Shelby County Drug Free
Coalition Youth Council
TALENT SHOW
Friday May 11th 7:00pm

Comedy
SCOTT LONG & TODD McCOMAS
Saturday May 12th 8:00pm

Shelbville Middle School
SMS JAZZ CHOIR & JAZZ BAND
Thursday May 17th 7:00pm

Rock Concert
COSMOS – MUSIC FROM THE
OTHER SIDE
Saturday May 19th, 8:00pm

Shelby County Builders Association
MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE
Sunday May 20th, 6:30pm

Shelby County Players
DAMN YANKEES AUDITIONS
May 21 & 22, 6:30pm

Horror Movies
FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHTS
Friday May 25th, 8:00pm

Join us at the Strand this Saturday for another great night of comedy.

Scott Long is a nationally touring standup comedian who has appeared on ESPN Radio and The Bob & Tom Show.  He is entering his 10th season writing Frank Caliendo’s comedy sketches for the NFL on the FOX Pregame Show.

He tackles the challenges of parenting and marriage with the same aggressive style of comedy he brings to the NFL.  This Iowa native’s transformation from urban hipster to urban dipster is one hilarious, introspective journey that takes you from childhood to fatherhood.

Todd McComas is a local favorite who performs for the troops

as a member of Operation Comedy.

Tickets $15 and are are available at Mickey’s-T-Mart, Strand Box Office or online.

Doors and bar open at 7, Show begins at 8.

The Strand Theatre started with the a plan for renovation. The plan called for work to progress from West to East. This March the Strand officially dedicated our marquee. The marquee is the furthest point east in our theatre. The marquee renovation has been a labor of love. The present marquee was installed in the early 1930′s. It covers the canopy that was originally installed in 1916. The marquee renovation was guided by Steve Dennis Electric and Ron Moenter Signs. Steve and Ron guided the volunteers and did the work that were beyond the scope of our volunteers. The following steps were necessary for the completion of the project:

Remove the vinyl siding covering the marquee
Remove the sign extension on the north side
Remove the vinyl trim
Remove glass panels
Remove sockets
Remove interior lights
Remove all interior wire (that was a hard job)
Remove old neon transformers
Remove old drains
Clean debris from roof
Repair rubber roof
Install new drains
Install new vinyl ceiling
Clean and patch rust
Remove bad panels
Install new patches
Clean interior
Prime interior
Paint interior white
Repair letter frames
Temporarily reinstall letter frames
Prepare socket holes
Paint Marquee for protection
Acquire sequencer
Install 2 new 20 amp circuits to marquee
Rebuild flood lights under marquee
Install new interior florescent lights
Install new polycarbonate panels in ends
Purchase new Wagner style marquee letters
Wire 340 new porcselin sign sockets
Paint socket rails
Install sockets
Rework Stand logo
Purchase new aluminum for covering
Design corner logo
Vector image logo for painting
Paint aluminum with automotive paint and clear coat
Install new aluminum over exterior surfaces
Install panel rails
Install new neon transformers
Install new neon
Install front panel polycarbonate
Install front panel sign frames
Install lighting relays
Install bulbs
Install new sequencer
Replace sequencer with 1950′s sequencer
Replace with 1930′s sequencer
Wire timers and program
Dedicate marquee
Flip the switch!!!

The honor of lighting the marquee for the first time were given to the family that owned the Strand from 1967 until 2004. Dick Delaney, Jim & Connie DeWitt and Patti DeWitt represented their family and their parents who took care of the Strand so it could survive to become what it is today.

The Shelbyville High School Jazz Band under the direction of Russell Smith performed at the Strand on Saturday May 5, 2012. The student had a 17 tune first set that feature more modern jazz band repertoire. The second set featured the swing era favorites that everyone knows and love.

The concert finished with a rousing rendition of Sing, Sing, Sing. The brass players made it through the whole gig with flying colors.