Friends of Ludlow Auditorium

1 Whispering Pines • Ludlow, VT  05149

Tel (802) 228-7239 • email: info@fola.us

[a 50l (c)(3) organization]

"Our purpose is to promote the use of the Ludlow Auditorium

for the benefit and entertainment of the people of Ludlow,

the surrounding Black River area, and its visitors"

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FOLA – Friends of Ludlow Auditorium

Summary of 2012

FOLA, during its third year of operation, brought a number of new venues to the Ludlow Auditorium in 2012.

Some of the activities sponsored by FOLA during this period included:

· The ‘1^st Thursday’ movie series, showing 12 movies that included:

· Skip Gorman and Connie Dover in a country-western concert

· Start of a four film series in conjunction with Okemo

· Sponsored Windsor County Candidates forum on Vermont’s

· Two silent movie festival shows featuring background music

· Springfield Community Chorus presented opera and Broadway music

· “Sweet Music”, a quartet singing pop music

· Original comedy skits by Stan and Jane Hart, “Look at It This Way”

· The annual Community Christmas Celebration

· Creation of a FOLA web site, www.fola.us

As part of its community support goals, FOLA was involved in three collaborations with other town and area groups:

· FOLA supported the Opus 24 project of VT MIDI where students have their original music played by members of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra for an audience drawn from all over Vermont

· FOLA assisted the Winter Carnival group in the showing of its extreme skiing movies

· FOLA worked with LPCTV in showing the “Irene’s Wake” in the auditorium

In 2013, FOLA has worked with the merchants of Ludlow during the 2013 Winter Carnival by presenting a film as part of the carnival based on the carnival’s theme. FOLA has also agreed to handle the showing of a film related to the disappearance of honey bees and its impact on agriculture.

In keeping with FOLA’s purpose to enhance the auditorium and promote its use for the benefit of the residents of Ludlow and the area, FOLA purchased a new projection system, at a cost of about $6,700. The new system is ten times more powerful than the initial projector and includes a lens capable of an 80 ft “throw distance” for projection from the auditorium balcony. It has greatly improved the motion picture quality. FOLA also purchased two new auditorium-sized speakers to enhance the audio segment of programs in the auditorium. All of the purchased items were given to the Town of Ludlow.

The funding sources for these expenditures in 2012 included:

 

1. A Town Meeting approved article for $1,500

2. FOLA Membership and out-right donations from a variety of individuals and organizations

3. Donations at FOLA sponsored events

While plans for 2013 are very tentative at this time, they will include a May 4 concert by the Springfield Choral group, an end of May banjo concert by the Sky Blue Boys (aka Banjo Dan), a special four movies series called ‘Okemo Meets FOLA’, a silent movie festival, the annual Christmas production, a special ‘kids’ Halloween movie in late October, and the 12 monthly movies. FOLA will present a special musical treat, FOLA Follies of 2013, featuring area performers in March.

Long range plans will focus on the purchase of a motorized screen so that the town does not have to devote resources to disassembling the existing screen when the stage is used for performances.  FOLA will also prepare plans to replace the antiquated (and uncomfortable) seats in the auditorium.

Officers for 2012 included: Ralph Pace, Chairman; Anita Alic, Vice-Chair; David Almond, Treasurer; Janet Pace, Secretary; Bruce Farr, Programming Director; Jean Eggleston, Director; James Alic, Director; Kevin Kuntz, Director; Mary Jane O’Hara, Director; Tesha Buss, Director, and Susan McNeeley, Director