The theatre has been hopping with activity this past week.   We are working hard on upgrades so we are prepared for the shows ahead.   The Shelby County Players will be using the Strand extensively in the next year, and these changes will be especially helpful for them.   Before we get to some of the changes, we would like to mention two very humorous things that happened recently.
First, we have arrived!   In a performance a few weeks ago, someone was outside the theatre scalping a ticket.   We took this as a badge of honor.  The person was successful scalping their ticket.   It would be nice if we sold out every show…at least the scalpers would like that.

Second was a practical joke by someone that indirectly affected the Strand.   The City of Shelbyville has beautiful flower pots throughout the downtown area.  The Strand is fortunate to have 2 of these pots in front of the theatre.   They always look great.   A few weeks ago one of our volunteers noticed a new plant sprouting above the flowers.   It was corn!    We also noticed about a dozen of the pots had stalks of corn.   After several days, and lots of rain, the corn grew bigger and bigger.    Whoever did this had a great sense of humor.   Alas, this week we found that someone “harvested” the rouge plants out of the flower mix.   We were looking forward to the corn as high as an elephant’s eye, touching all the way up to the “marquee”.     By the way, we didn’t do it. 

The Strand is continuing the renovation of the theatre.   (warning, heavy duty tech talk ahead).    This past week continued the work that was started last week.  First was a maintenance item that caught us off guard.   We have had an alarm fault in one of the back doors.   Steve Dennis, who is the alarm guru, figured it out this week.   The door in question in a very old wood door that desperately needs replaced.   It exits into the alley behind the theatre.   When Steve was working on the electrical system, he went to exit this door.   It wouldn’t budge.   It took Steve, Darin plus Strand volunteers Bob S. and David F. to pound the door open.   As soon as it opened, Steve found the problem with the alarm switch.  Due to the vast amount of rain and the very high heat, the door swelled shut and moved the alarm switch.   Bob S. brought his power planar to the rescue and problem solved. 

The electrical work has been proceeding steadily.  More circuits have been moved off of our Frankenstein switch and onto our new panel.   The lights above the stage were tied to the new power.   This wasn’t as easy as it seemed.   Those circuits ran from above the stage to the Men’s restroom and back.   Now they are an efficient run from our new panel.   All the outlets that we are installing are single circuit too.   This will help us avoid problems during shows.   

The pipe that fed Son of Frankenstein (which bit the dust last week) ran the length of the theatre in the tunnel.   This was never secured and just flopped around.  It was a very heavy 1-1/2″ threaded pipe.   That is now gone.    Inside that pipe was lots of old wire.  Thanks to our friends at Pettit’s, the Strand was able to recycle $138 worth of metals this week.   Now that the old pipe is out of the way, we have the room to install new things.   One of the new things was a request from sound guru Ron B.   He requested an outlet in the center of the balcony.   This isn’t as easy as it sounds, but it was installed.   This will allow Ron some flexibility with things that will be handy in the future.   It will also be nice for people who film from the balcony, they will have power that is right where they need it.

The most important circuit needed was run this week.   It is to the new ice machine.   While Steve and Darin were at it, they also moved the popcorn machine to the new service too!   That is a big deal, since we could not use the popcorn machine when the stage lights were on!   That is now a thing of the past.     We will talk about the plumbing work next week….all exciting improvements.

This past week we hosted the Blue River Community Foundation annual meeting.  The BRCF has been a wonderful partner for the Strand.   We strongly encourage everyone to support our local Foundation.   

Friday night MUTHASHIP will perform at the Strand.   The performance starts at 8:00pm.   Tickets are $7.00.  

Saturday night SHELBY IDOL returns from the first round of Semi-Final competition.   The performance starts at 7:00pm.   Tickets are $3.00

Thanks for all the support.   The Strand is proud to be able to be an option for entertainment and enhance the quality of life in our community.