The 15th anniversary celebration for the Park Theatre Civic Center in North Vernon will begin with two live shows the last weekend in September.
Two Grammy-nominated songwriters and musicians will join Ron Bridgewater and his band for a night of music, starting at 7 p.m. Sept. 28. The concert is free but tickets are required and seating is limited.
This year’s Ron Bridgewater and Friends concert will include Nashville composer and musician Tim Menzies, and musical artist Doug Anderson.
“I am so excited these guys will actually be on stage with us. It is probably going to be our best show ever,” said Bridgewater, who has played at every Park Theatre restoration celebration for the past 15 years.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
In his day-job, Bridgewater is the pastor of East Columbus Christian Church, but he is also well known as the leader of a band that specializes in gospel music.
“I guess you could say we play gospel mixed with a little country sound,” Bridgewater said.
On Sept. 29, a live tribute presentation of “The King, The Killer and the Man in Black” starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.
“These guys are so good, you’ll swear you are looking at the real Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. This show travels everywhere,” said Bill Reichenbach, who with his wife Hulda helped raise $1.3 million for renovations to the theater, which were completed in 2003.
Reichenbach stays active as a full-time volunteer at the Park Theatre Civic Centre’s box office.
“Both of these shows are a great way to open our 15th anniversary celebration. The actual reopening of the Park was Oct. 6, 2003. We will have a big celebration that night, too, but these shows will get things started,” Reichenbach said.
The Park Theatre features both live performances and movies all year long.
“We feature movies at least every weekend and live performances at least one time a month. There is always something happening here and we are doing well,” Reichenbach said.
“We celebrate the anniversary every year because the whole thing couldn’t have happened without all the volunteers, and it is the volunteers that keep it going today,” he added.
Since 1916, the Park Theatre was a center of North Vernon activities until it closed in 1962. It served as an apartment building and warehouse until the roof collapsed. In 1997, the old theater building was in danger of being destroyed when the Reichenbachs began a civic campaign to save the building.
“It was Hulda’s idea. She remembered the building as it was when she was a child and just couldn’t stand the thought of it being destroyed. It took six years of hard work by the whole town, but we got it done and the building was saved and reopened in 2003.”
North Vernon Mayor Mike Ochs has memories of childhood experiences at the Park Theatre.
“It was an important part of life in North Vernon when I was growing up. It was in great danger when the roof collapsed but all the volunteers did a remarkable job of saving and restoring the building. They brought back and important part of our heritage and now the kids today will have fond memories of their times at the Park Theatre,” Ochs said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Ticket information” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
To purchase tickets go in person to the Park Theatre Civic Centre box office, 25 N. Madison Ave. in North Vernon, or call 812-346-0330 during box office hours. It’s open most days from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on the weekends from about 1 p.m. until sometimes 10 p.m.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
