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Bethel SIFE Explores Options of Downtown Theater |
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By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com |
MCKENZIE (February 13) After setting vacant for several
years, the former Park Theatre building is being
considered for use as a community center, business
incubator, a small pizzeria, and even possibly return as
a cinema.
Students in Free Enterprise, SIFE, on Bethel’s campus,
hopes to partner with the McKenzie Industrial Board,
owner of the building, located at the intersection of
Cedar Avenue and Main Street.
Dr. Nassar Nassar, director of educational outreach at
Bethel and Kelley Kelley, director of operations, met
with the Industrial Board to explain their concept. The
SIFE representatives said the vision is to develop the
upstairs office buildings into a business incubator,
where starting business could have a temporary office
and necessary resources to get a start. The former
cinema balcony could be renovated to seat approximately
200 persons to facilitate the showing of movies. Nassar
cautioned that the market size may be too small to
rekindle the cinema. The main ground-floor seating could
be removed to allow portable seating for theatrical
productions, meetings, weddings, or receptions. The
representatives envision the work being completed in
phases. Development of the facility will depend on
necessary funding or grants.
Nassar said the SIFE team has won the regional
championship three times in their first three years of
existence and is ranked in the top 25 in the nation. The
group also established Jack’s Place pizzeria in the
Bethel Student Center as part of the free enterprise
program. The winnings earn the group financial grants,
said Nassar.
That pizza business could be expanded to the theater
location and provide eat-in, delivery, or carry-out
service. Used theater equipment might be available to
restore the theater as well, said Kelley.
Nassar said the SIFE team is seeking ideas and funds for
the development of the project.
Mayor Walter Winchester and Billy Barksdale, executive
director of the McKenzie Industrial Board, was
appreciative of the SIFE teams concepts and efforts.
Grant funding paid a significant portion of earlier
renovations to the lobby, roof, and exterior. However,
funds are not available to complete the project.
Barksdale said the industrial board’s main function is
to provide jobs. If a family operated the business, it
would have to generate a profit. SIFE can operate the
theater in a non-profit manner, said the executive.
“This board owns that building because we did not want
to see it torn down,” said board Chairman John
Baumgardner. The board unanimously approved his
recommendation to negotiate with Bethel’s SIFE program
to lease, purchase, or gift the building to the
non-profit group to convert it into a viable business.
“That’s the most promising news on that building in a
long time,” said the chairman. |
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Town of Huntingdon Receives Governor’s Awards In The
Arts
Awards will be presented on March 13 at the Schermerhorn
Symphony Center |
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Huntingdon Mayor Dale Kelley and theater namesake Dixie
Carter during opening ceremonies at The Dixie in 2005.
NASHVILLE – The Town of Huntingdon is among seven
recipients selected to receive the 2007 Governor’s
Awards in the Arts. Established in 1971 to celebrate
significant contributions to the cultural life of
Tennessee, the awards will be presented on March 13 by
Governor Phil Bredesen in a ceremony produced by the
Tennessee Arts Commission.
“The 2007 recipients represent the very best from the
state’s arts community,” says Rich Boyd, executive
director of the Commission. “The awards recognize the
highest excellence and the public value of the arts in
Tennessee.”
Recipients were selected from 69 nominees to receive
awards in the Folklife Heritage, Distinguished Artist,
and Arts Leadership categories.
Arts Leadership Awards will be presented to the
Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, the Town of
Huntingdon, and Bill Ivey of Nashville. This award
recognizes organizations, businesses, educators,
patrons, arts administrators, corporations and
volunteers who have demonstrated significant support or
participation in activities which foster excellence in,
appreciation of, or access to the arts throughout the
state.
The Schermerhorn Symphony Center opened in September of
2006 in downtown Nashville and the world-class facility
marked the beginning of a new era for arts and culture
in Tennessee. Named in honor of the late Symphony Music
Director Kenneth Schermerhorn, the concert hall
represents the dedication and leadership of the
Nashville Symphony Association and the generosity of the
patrons who make the building a reality.
The Town of Huntingdon is being recognized for their
leadership in the building of the Dixie Carter
Performing Arts Center. The Center, affectionately
called “The Dixie,” is named after actress and local
citizen, Dixie Carter. The Center was developed by the
Town of Huntingdon to be an accessible arts venue
serving a rural community where excellence would become
a standard. It has sparked downtown renewal efforts
around a charming town square.
The recipients will be honored at an invitation-only
reception on Tuesday, March 13 at the Schermerhorn
Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. The awards will
be presented by Governor Phil Bredesen during a special
ceremony that evening. AT&T is the corporate sponsor for
the event.
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Bredesen Proposes Smoking Ban |
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Governor Phil Bredesen has proposed a statewide smoking
ban as part of a nation-wide trend, with 21 states now
prohibiting smoking in most workplaces. Tennessee
already prohibits smoking in all government-owned and
leased buildings in Tennessee.
Bredesen earlier proposed a 40-cent tax hike on a pack
of cigarettes to pay for education and now wants to
prohibit smoking in offices, restaurants and bars.
Bredesen, proposed the ban at a meeting of the Tennessee
Press Association. The Governor said the health risk to
both adults and children were undeniable and costly —
with $2 billion in health care spending annually in
Tennessee alone as a result of cigarette smoke.
Tennessee has the third highest rate smokers of any
state, with 26.8 percent of adults in Tennessee smoking,
according to a 2006 Centers for Disease Control study.
Only Kentucky and Indiana had higher smoking rates.
"Every Tennessean deserves — frankly, every one of us
has the right — to go to work, to earn a paycheck, to
eat a meal, to provide for our families, without risking
our health in the process," Bredesen said. "No one
should have to choose between their personal livelihood
and their health." |
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Three-alarm Fire At Abandoned H.I.S. Building |
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Firefighters from Trezevant, McLemoresville, and Atwood work
together to get the fire under control.
By Jimmy Gilliam
sports@mckenziebanner.com |
TREZEVANT (February 16) Trezevant, McLemoresville, and
Atwood fire departments responded to a fire at the
abandoned H.I.S. building at approximately 9:45 a.m. The
fire was confined to the northwest corner of the
building on a second floor. The fire departments were
able to get the fire under control rather quickly to
avoid further damage to the building. The cause of the
fire has not yet been determined.
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