Bob McEachern and Dave Stonley are pleased to report a year of success on the anniversary of the reopening of the Norgan Theatre in Palmerston.
Stonley said they were at council to give an update on “what I refer to as the success story of the Norgan Theatre. Financially, it’s certainly doing better than forecast.”
He estimated the volunteers as “in excess of 50. We’ve run some fundraising events to help pay down the debt.”
He noted there was the recent implementation of a manager position to try to make life a little easier for the volunteers, and he is hoping that will possibly extend the time the volunteers will stay.
McEachern said having sat at council numerous times a few years ago “It’s kind of pleasant to sit here and report how we’ve done.” He said the theatre reopened on Nov. 4 last year “and, as Dave has said, we’ve been reasonably successful in most of our endeavours.”
In checking the number of volunteers his numbers came in at in excess of 60, McEachern said.
“Several things have happened over the past year that fits in a Sports analogy,” he said. “You have to be good to be lucky, and you have to be lucky to be good.”
Certain things fit into that category.
Several people, led by Shawn Hedge, have trained themselves to be movie projectionists. “They are all volunteers, and that makes a significant difference on the financial side,” he said.
Various captains each have about 10 people working with them, and they rotate through the weeks.
McEachern said the other thing that had been way off in the distance, was the idea of a website. Having that in place now has made a significant difference in the advertising.
“It has allowed the Norgan to become an economic engine for the Palmerston area. We’ve used that website to advertise everything at the Norgan, and it draws people from well beyond the borders of Minto.
“We originally talked that there would be a three year plan to get things up and running.
On the decision to renovate, McEachern said “the fact that we opted to ‘basically gut it’ and present a new building was probably one of the best steps we ever made.”
Renovations included new washrooms, and a clean new building has driven the attendance and more than paid for itself in the publicity attained.
The other thing, he said, is the Norgan is becoming more and more part of the community – where it used to fit into the Palmerston culture.
At one time, there was no place in Palmerston to hold meetings so they were all held at the theatre. Today, the Norgan is starting fill its former role within the community.
In conjunction with a shop local night, the Norgan offered a toonie night where the children were invited to come and the parents were invited to shop.
“We attempt to be part of the business community of Palmerston.
McEachern said the purchase of the data projector has been another smart move on our part. “It has allowed us to expand the whole concept of what the theatre can do – it is now a venue.
“We do movies on the weekend … and as long as I’m involved that will be a sacred trust made with the community of Palmerston for the support they’ve given us. The rest of the days are up for bidding,” he said. “We basically do whatever comes along, from lectures on heritage.”
He cited the showing of a 1947 film about Palmerston that is also available at the Palmerston library “We have senior groups coming in from a genealogical point of view.
“That’s the fun part. We stop the projector … to see if they can identify individuals in the film.”
McEachern noted the Norgan has hosted student groups from Europe discussing the roles of volunteers.
The theatre has also hosted genealogical groups from Guelph, and a group is coming to Harriston in April for a regional meeting.
McEachern noted the theatre also brought in the movie Passchendale for the students at Norwell and Mount Forest, and over a weekend for the community and the veterans.
McEachern said that it may be obvious, because of his background, of his interest in utilizing the educational aspect of the theatre.
When he now does tours of the railway station, part of that tour includes a powerpoint presentation at the Norgan of the heritage and culture of Palmerston.
Down the road, McEachern sees the plan for an educational centre at the station.
“The Norgan is already part of that,” he said.
The group has several projects planned in the future to further make use of the data projector to show the community about all the things tied in with the heritage of Palmerston and Minto.
He said the building itself has become a full use entity – not just a movie theatre.
Mayor David Anderson offered his congratulations to the board and the many volunteers. He said quite a history has been built to this point.
He asked how the volunteer base is holding up and if the motivation is still there, and if they are still enjoying themselves.
McEachern said he is there most of the time and he sees quite a few different people each week.
While there is some turnover, McEachern said that for those who have left, new volunteers have come on board.
“It serves so many interests and a lot are the parents of the children who come. They know its a safe place for their children to be.”
Stonley added he hopes more can be done to create an atmosphere that is friendly to the volunteers
“If we continue to demonstrate to those people who stepped up to the plate that we are sincere in partnering with them to make that operation successful … I think we may be able to extend the life of the volunteers beyond our original plan.”
