Fundraising, cleanup, and searching for Babcock Theatre memorabilia
From the Babcock Movie Theatre Preservation Society
WELLSVILLE – The next community meeting for the Babcock Movie Theatre Preservation Society will take place at 6 p.m. March 25th in the Gallery at the David A. Howe Library. The public is encouraged to attend and find out what has been happening.
Great strides have been made. Since the last public committee meeting the Babcock Movie Theatre Preservation Society board has been working hard. Since the beginning of the new year they have applied for and received certification of incorporation from NYS. They have also applied for and received an EIN (employer ID number) from the IRS. This along with the current application to the Internal Revenue Service for designation as a not-for-profit 501c3 status will allow the board to make several plans toward the reopening of this iconic structure.
As preferred in the recent survey regarding the theater, it will retain the Babcock Theatre name established in 1919 when it was built by Charles L. Babcock.
At the upcoming community meeting several items will be discussed, including cleanup, fundraising and participation in upcoming events like the July 12th. Great Wellsville Balloon Rally Parade and the Chamber of Commerce GWBR Downtown Festival.
According to the board at the community meeting a Fundraising Subcommittee will be formed. This committee will explore, develop and organize ideas to raise local funds for preservation efforts, which include filing expenses required for grant applications. Volunteers will be recruited to design and build a float for the Balloon Rally Parade and for manning a information booth at the Downtown Festival (July 19th) the following weekend.
In the meantime, and on a limited basis, volunteers will be needed to clean up the facility. The board will contact the Junior Fireman or boys athletic teams to help with the heavy lifting.
At this point in time the Village will retain ownership of the building and provides insurance coverage. Until certain repairs are made only a limited number of volunteers will be able to be on site at any given time.
The plan for the Babcock Theatre is to preserve the building and return it to its former glory in keeping with its art deco theme. The goal is to reopen it as a nonprofit entity and offer a variety of movies of all genres, both classic and more recent. Special movies for other organizations and those with special needs will also be shown. Programs to promote movie making have also been discussed. The board is currently looking for any memorabilia associated with the theater, including the old BABCOCK marquee letters.
Please attend the upcoming meeting and become part of the effort to restore this landmark structure from the past, for the future.
Look for future updates and meeting information on the Babcock Movie Theatre Preservation Society Facebook page.
