The Strand is pleased to welcome the 2011 Shelby County Arts Fest events to our theatre this weekend. The SCAF will be held downtown Shelbyville with events on the Public Square, Gallery, Grover Museum and elsewhere. The Strand is please again to host a variety of entertainment.

Please note that all SCAF entertainment at the Strand is FREE of charge.

Starting tonight we have Brian Ernstes performing at 7:30pm. Brian will present a program of opera favorites and other music. Originally from Shelby County, we welcome Brian back into our community to perform for us.

On Saturday we start performances with the Blue River Community Choir at 3:00pm. Following their performance will be a reading of Edgar Lee Master’s Spoon River Anthology. Community leaders under the direction of B.J. Fairchild-Newman will be presenting this performance. If you are not familiar with this work, it will be something you will want to come and experience. The subject matter coupled with the reading by our leaders that you all know, will be a memorable experience.

After Spoon River, the SCAF will auction of decorated 1938 vintage Strand Theatre seats. This will be your opportunity to own a piece of the Strand while supporting the Arts in our community.

The evening concert on Saturday night will feature pianist Kurt von Schakel. Kurt will be joined by veteran Strand performers Kathleen Miller and Robin Hopkins. For the second half of the performance, Kurt will accompany the hilarious Buster Keaton silent comedy “The Haunted House”.

On Sunday the Shelby Community Band will perform to end the weekend’s festivities. The theme of this program is Hollywood Hits. This performance will include trumpet soloists Gary Lauzierre and Jon Masters. There will be an alto sax solo by Jerry Bell. The SCB will welcome it’s first ever violin soloist Doug Buchanan playing the beautiful theme from John Williams score for Schindler’s List.

(Warning, classical music tech talk ahead). In preparation for this performance Doug came to the theatre an tested out the acoustics. As he stood on an empty stage he darted through many of the wonderful violin classics. He started with the Williams theme, then transitioned to the oddly similar opening for the Sibelius Violin Concerto. After playing a good majority of the first movement, he then played by request, the theme from Smetana’s “The Moldau” from the orchestral suite Ma Vlast. Doug, being the excellent musician that he is, played the arpeggio violin introduction as well as the theme from that movement. He then finished off the test with most of Rimsky-Korsakov’s violin solo from “Scheherazade”. For those of you out there that know this literature, suffice it to say we had an excellent time sitting and listening. You are in for a treat on Sunday.

The Strand has also been busy this week too. The Shelby County Players held auditions on Monday and Tuesday for their Holiday children’s show. This drew an amazing amount of actors to audition. Congratulations to the SCP on continually expanding their offerings and interest in their activities.

Next week we start the week off with the induction ceremony for the Shelbyville High School Jobs for America’s Graduates program. This is a wonderful event highlighting students taking the steps to be productive members of our community. This will be at 6:30 on Monday October 17th. Come and support these young adults in the journey.

Starting on Tuesday rehearsals begin for the play Swamp Pirate Zombies during the Shelbyville Screams Halloween Extravaganza. Shelbyville Screams will be a fun time at the Strand. It will also help us financially too! More on that next week.

Thank you for your interest in the Strand. The Shelbyville News, WSVX Radio, Shelbyville Today and all the other media outlets help you stay informed about the Strand. We are grateful for all they do to help promote our mission. The key is your support. We look forward to seeing you at the Strand soon! Thank you.

Last week we talked about a few problems that occurred at the theatre during opening night of the Shelby County Players’ production of Arsenic and Old Lace. Each and every problem was fixed by 11:00 am the next morning. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped get us back into shape. Fortunately Friday night was smooth with no hiccups.

We enjoyed Arsenic and Old Lace. Each performance was greeted by excellent attendance. By Sunday evening the stage was clear and the Strand was ready for the next week’s events. Thank you to the Shelby County Players for bringing this excellent entertainment to our community. Tiffany Wilson, her cast and crew are to be commended for this wonderful production.

After the Players left, several of the Strand’s board members decided it was time to have our Cabaret carpet professionally cleaned. The carpet came to the Strand from Shelbyville Paint and Wallpaper. Ray Wetnight donated the carpet and installation to the project. We have always been respectful of what we have and how it came to be. Our volunteers have cleaned the carpet numerous times through the generosity of Mickey’s T-Mart and their carpet cleaner. It takes about six hours and to be honest, we just couldn’t get the spots out. Jack Essex came into the theatre and made that carpet look new again. Each and every spot was removed. This is a big deal for the Strand. We have always preserved our funds and done things ourselves. This was one job we couldn’t remain on the perceived value side. After seeing the results with Jack, we know that at least once per year the value will be with a professional cleaning.

As one thing ends, another begins. The Shelby County Arts Fest will have several events at the Strand starting on Friday October 14th with a concert by opera singer Brian Ernstes. One of the things that is required for that recital is a concert grand piano.

Several people in our community have volunteered for the Strand in specific ways. Our piano arranger has always been Jeff Sponsel. Jeff got the call and with a bit of work once again has a concert grand headed our way from our friends at Jonas Productions. The good part is that the piano is coming on Wednesday October 12th at noon. The bad part is it is a bit too heavy for just a couple of people to move. We need at least six volunteers to help us get the piano into the theatre and set up on stage. This is not like a normal piano move; these instruments come in a hard road case (box) with wheels. We put a big aluminum ramp up to the stage. It is just a matter of keeping the 2000 pound piano going in the right direction. If you can help, we would love to see you at noon on the 12th. It takes about 30 minutes to complete. Thank you!
That night we will have Poetry Night. On October 12th our fall poetry, arranged for by Three Sisters Books and Gifts, will again be at the Strand. This is always a wonderful evening of interesting works. If you haven’t experienced a poetry reading, please make plans to join us for this free event.

Thank you for your support. The Strand is alive with wonderful programs, we hope to see you there!

Here is the schedule of our upcoming events. There is something for everyone.

Poetry Night
Three Sisters Books and Gifts
October 12, 2011
7:00pm FREE

Brian Ernstes Recital
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 14, 2011
7:30pm FREE

Blue River Community Choir
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 15, 2011
1:00pm FREE

Spoon River Anthology
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 15, 2011
5:00pm FREE

Decorated Strand Seat Auction
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 15, 2011
6:00pm FREE

Piano Concert with Silent Movie
Buster Keaton’s “The Haunted House”
Kurt von Schakel, Kathleen Miller and Robin Hopkins
October 15, 2011
7:30pm FREE

Shelby Community Band
Shelby County Arts Fest
October 16, 2011
2:00pm FREE

Shelbyville Screams
Smashed Productions, Skyline Drive-In & the Strand Theatre
Zombies abound!
October 28 – 30

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.   This week the Strand feels like we are on the down side of up.   A cascading string of things dampened (literally) the mood.   (Warning, a small bit of tech talk ahead).

It all started with our vacuum.   The Strand is very dependant on our yellow industrial vacuum cleaner.     It lives on a steady diet of popcorn.   This week, in preparation for the Shelby County Players production, the Strand cleaning crew was using “old yellow” when we heard a clunk.    After that, no suction.   We found out exactly what happened.   The vacuum ate a bobby pin and a dry wall screw.   They broke the impeller.    Not a good problem.   Bob S. will go to the vacuum supply house to see if he can procure an impeller.   With luck, we will be able to fix the problem rather than replace the unit.

The next problem was even more difficult.   Just as the audience was arriving for Arsenic and Old Lace, we discovered a small flood in the basement under the men’s room.     A quick investigation found that our water heater had sprung a leak.   Since there are no drains in the basement, we had no choice but to turn off the water….just as 150+ were entering the theatre.   Before you could say “Charge”, Bob S. installed an isolation valve on the heater and had the water turned back on.   Before the end of the second act the water heater was removed.    At 9:00am Friday morning Bob S. and Lou M. replaced the unit.

But wait, there’s more!   While this was happening, we discovered floor tiles warped and a drip under the urinals.   It seems that at the same time we developed a another leak.   The plumber will be at the Strand to join Bob and Lou in the festivities.   While they are fixing the water heater, Rick the plumber will be fixing the urinals.

OK, enough already….but after the first intermission we had a problem in the Women’s bathroom.   We won’t describe it for you, but Steve F. got the job of fixing the problem.  He is important and gets the important things!    Problem fixed.

OK, really enough already….after the second intermission we had water all over the concession stand store.   The Coke fountain unit sprung a leak.    The main water line had two connectors come loose enough to leak, or should we say a flood.   A quick trip to get supplies and we had the problem fixed before the end of the play.

Those are some of the joys of operation the Strand.   Even though we run into a few problems here and there, it is still fun.   Check out our web site for the “action shots” of these issues.

All performance venues were saddened by the tragedy at the Indiana State Fair in August 2011. The Strand Board of Directors looked at that event and decided to do what we could to keep that from happening at the Strand.  The Shelby County Players built a wonderful set for their production of Arsenic and Old Lace under the guidance of set designer Mike Evans. This set utilizes the height of the Strand’s auditorium and is two stories tall.

In keeping with our discussions about the State Fair tragedy, the Strand asked the City of Shelbyville inspectors to take a look. The outcome was a structure that is safe for the actors and audience. They were impressed by the ruggedness of construction and the attention to detail.   Good job Mike!

The inspection was done by Tammy Cornelius aided by Tom DeBaun, Building Commissioner. While Tom was on the set he recalled a time when he too acted in Arsenic and Old Lace many years ago!

With two thumbs up, the Shelby County Players are ready and the Strand implemented what we learned by studying the State Fair stage collapse.

The Strand will have the Shelby County Players production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” the rest of this weekend.    The Strand will be getting ready for the rest of the month, including looking for that pesky gremlin that caused all the problem, but that is for next week’s email.

Thank you for the support.   The Strand is a place that puts a smile on you face!   As we enter a season of renewal, it is nice to a part of the revitalization of something as worthwhile as the Strand.    See you at the Strand!

This past week the Strand has been busy.   We had two shows this past weekend.  Friday night was Operation Comedy.   This was funny!   There were laughs for all.   The Strand thanks Jon Stites for bringing this show to our community.   We were able to help raise money for the Hoosier Veterans Association Foundation and our local Santa’s Protectors.  
 
On Saturday night we had a group of young musicians play on stage.   The Purple Peanut Armanda with guest Mark Hicks had another fun performance.   The Strand is pleased to help the young bands develop their performing “chops”.   They also did a great job in helping the Strand with excellent ticket sales.    Thank you to all involved.
 
On Thursday the Strand participated in the Blue River Community Foundation’s Volunteer Fair.  This year the event was held at Occasions.   We enjoyed talking to everyone who attended.   Thank you to BRCF for organizing this event.
 
Tonight we have the return of Friday Night Frights.    The fourth Friday of every month we turn back time and show 1950’s and 60’s horror movies.   This month we will show two classics.   The Attack of the Wasp Woman and I Bury the Living.   This should be a fun evening.   The show starts at 8:00pm.  
 
The Strand has been busy with various groups preparing for upcoming performances.   We have the Shelby County Players rehearsing for their next show Arsenic and Old Lace.  We also have the Shelbyville Screams group preparing their play for Halloween weekend.   We have also had a bit of music here and there take the stage for a little rehearsal time.    All this activity keeps our theatre alive, but just in case we have the ghost light too.
 
Speaking of ghost light, Halloween Weekend the Strand will take part in Shelbyville Screams.  This is an event created by our friends at Smashed Productions.   It will include a paranormal lecture, zombie walk, ghost tour, ghost hunt (right here in the theatre), short films and feature length movies.    Stay tuned for all the events.   We have to admit that some of our Strand volunteers get the heebee jebbees from this kind of talk.   (We just don’t tell them).
 
Warning, tech talk ahead.   This is the time of year that our air handling systems transition from air conditioning to heat.   This past week Bob S. completely serviced and tested all our heating units.   This includes our annual check for carbon monoxide.  This test ensures our heat exchangers remain in good shape.   We also check the flames in all the gas jets and the valves that control the system.   Along with the check comes a complete filter change.   We all know that you should change your filters often.  The Strand remains clean because we follow that procedure consistently.   Thank you to Shelby Air for providing excellent high quality filters for all our units.  Their advise on how to maintain our systems have been invaluable.   Also we have (in his words) our very own antique maintaining our antique equipment.   Thank you Bob!
 
The Shelby County Players will be in next weekend.   It will be a busy week of preparation at the Strand.    We look forward to seeing you at one of those performances.

Thank you for all your support.  The Strand is doing what we set out to do and it is fun!   See you at the Strand.

The Strand has had several things happen the past few weeks. There have been auditions for a play, auditions for a movie, a movie shoot and tours. Although we haven’t had any events with an audience, we have still been very busy.

On Friday September 16th Operation Comedy will perform at the Strand. This special comedy show will benefit 3 excellent organizations. Operation Comedy supports the Hoosier Veterans Association Foundation. Additionally they will be helping raise funds for our local Santa’s Helpers. The final group, as you can guess, is the Strand. This is a triple play, what a great thing! Mike Malone, Jon Stites, Jeff Oskay and Todd McComas will perform an adult theme show starting at 8:00pm. If you want to hear great comedians in the heart of Shelby County, then the Strand is the place to be on September 16th, get ready to laugh.

Rock and Roll music will return to the Strand on Saturday September 17. The Purple Peanut Armada will return to with special guest Mark Hicks. The show will start at 8:00pm. We look forward to a great evening of music. You might notice our marquee says TPPA. We don’t have enough letters to spell their 21 letter name, so we had to improvise.

This weekend the Strand is participating at the Shelby County Arts Fest’s Tour d’Art. This event is a benefit for the upcoming Shelby County Arts Fest. Tour d’Art will take place on September 10, 2011 at Forest Hill Cemetery from 4pm – 7pm. It will include tours of the cemetery and booths by many of the arts groups in Shelby County. The Strand will be one of those groups. The Shelby County Arts Fest will have a full weekend of arts on October 14, 15 and 16th. There will be many events at the Strand and we are thrilled to participate in this great festival.

The Shelby County Players are preparing their production of Arsenic and Old Lace. It will be at the Strand in 3 short weeks. The Players are working hard in rehearsals and preparing the set. The set, designed by the talented Mike Evans, will be quite extensive. We are working now on figuring out how to load it into the Strand a little early to help them be ready on time. We love seeing scenery on the stage.

Stay tuned, Shelbyville Screams is headed our way at Halloween!

Thanks for allowing us in your inbox, Facebook feed or on your browser We enjoy continuing the great legacy of our historic theatre. Thank you for the support.

This is a family show that we are sure you will enjoy.   Please come and support the Strand and see our guest performers Pat Smith, Jeff Loeser and Dan Dygert.  The show starts at 8:00pm and is sure to be a hit!   Those of you who have been to the magic shows at the Strand know that we play our “magic” music before and after.   See how many songs you know, Barry Manilow and all.



We have had lots of activity in the past few weeks.   First of all our web site was on the move….literally.  (Warning, tech talk ahead).   Our site is hosted free of charge on the servers of the Automotive Parts Network, Inc.    APN is migrating their sites from a Linux server in Chandler Arizona to some very powerful servers in Chicago, Illinois.   This project is the brainchild of web developer Shane K. for APN.  He volunteers his time to make sure the Strand and a few other not-for-profit sites hosted on the server perform to perfection.   This week the Strand was on the move list.   Without us even knowing, the files were copied, DNS records were changed and the data base was tested.   Thank you Shane for keeping us running smoothly.



Strand volunteer and graphic designer Martin Sullivan opened an exhibit at the Grover Museum this week.   Several of our posters have been designed by Marty.  His splashy clean style look great in our windows.   His photography at the museum is in a different league!   The images transport the viewer to places far away with stories waiting to be discovered.    We encourage you to stop by the museum and take a look, you’ll be glad you did.



Last week we had a lecture and film presentation by Kaitlynn Schiedler.  Her subject was the building survivors of 9/11.  There were only 19 people inside that survived the collapse.   She chronicled their stories and feelings about being saved.   It was a very powerful evening.   Rarely are we struck with such emotion as what was given in her lecture and her film.   As we approach the 10th anniversary of that day, we at the Strand are committed to our freedom, freedom of artistic expression and love of country.   Thank you Kaitlynn for bringing the survivor’s stories to the Strand.



This week there was an event honoring Mayor Scott Furgeson.   Clerk Treasurer Rod Meyerholtz served at the Master of Ceremonies.   In his remarks he listed the accomplishments of the past 8 years of Mayor Furgeson’s administration.   In his list he mentioned the Strand.   The Strand as we know it started because of a meeting called by Mayor Furgeson.   At that meeting Steve Frazee, then president of the Shelby Arts Council, and David Finkel president of the Plan Commission, sat around the table in Scott’s office with many other people.   Steve and David had planned for that eventuality and were armed with a renovation and use plan for their newly formed group the Strand Theatre of Shelbyville, Inc.    Scott made it clear that something needed to be done with the Strand.  The new group volunteered for the task, even though at the time there were only 2 people involved.  Things worked out and we are still growing.   Thank you Mayor Furgeson…your accolades are well deserved.



There are lots of wonderful events in the coming months.   We look forward to each and every show at the Strand.   We hope you will join us and experience what our community has to offer.    Thank you for your support.   All the volunteers associated with the Strand take great pride in what we as a community have been able to accomplish with our 95 year old theatre.    We look forward to seeing you at the Strand……tonight!

The Shelby County Players held auditions for their upcoming play “Arsenic and Old Lace” on Monday August 8st and Tuesday August 9th.   The production is directed by the talented Tiffany Wilson.   More information about the play can be found on the Shelby County Players web site at www.shelbycountyplayers.com

On Saturday August 13th the Bears of Blue River Queen Contest will be held at the Strand.   This free event will crown the 2011 Queen for the upcoming BBRF.   The Festival has lots of great entertainment.   The Strand will be dark during the festival.    We might have a late night movie or two, but those are still in the planning stage.

We have a special event on Tuesday August 16th.   Kaitlynn Scheidler will present a lecture and film on 9/11.   Kaitlynn is a high school student and has done extensive research and interviews on the subject.  This will be a memorable event.  We hope you come hear Kaitlynn speak.  The Shelbyville News published a great article about the event, you can read it online at www.shelbynews.com  The event is free.

With so much going on, we almost missed something interesting.  Our local community had quite a plug by Hollywood.   The new Captain America movie opened a few weeks ago.   Captain America’s side-kick is Bucky.   If you look, Bucky was born in Shelbyville, Indiana!    The character was created early in the series and we don’t know why he is from Shelbyville.    This tidbit was submitted by Strand Lecturer Joel F. from California.   Tarzan..Bucky…who knows what or who is next?   This movie is showing with our friends at Studio 10.  Go check it out.

Did you happen to see the article on our web site about our marquee and the Skyline’s sign?   It is worth the look.   We are looking forward to the night when our marquee lights up in its former glory.   We hope that time will be soon. 

As we approach the start of school, the Strand is looking back on a wonderful summer.   We have had a variety of entertainment with the greatest audience support yet.   Thank you for helping make it a memorable summer.    We look forward to continuing the year with many exciting programs.  As always, thank you for the support.   We hope to see you at the Strand!

• Queen Contest
• Bears of Blue River Festival
• Saturday
• August 13, 2011
• 7:00pm  Free

• 9/11 Tribute
• Film and Lecture
• Kaitlynn Scheidler
• Tuesday
• August 16, 2011
• 7:00pm  Free

• Friday Night Frights
• Double Feature
• August 26, 2011
• 8:00pm $5.00

• Mind Twisting Magic
• Magic and Comedy
• Saturday
• August 27, 2011
• 7:30pm