Guest Column: Sharing artistic experiences in Libby
Our Memorial Center is a gathering place, a family place; a place of education, unity and pride. It has a rich history in this community and a wealth of memories for all.
Many of you attended your first sporting events in the gym, your first prom or concert, wedding or theatrical play. We have grown with this center; it is a part of our collective Libby experience.
I have been the executive director of the Kootenai Heritage Council going on one year and it has been a year of great changes and challenges. Might I take a moment to say where we have been, the now, and where we are headed?
The mid to late 1990s saw a group of community leaders from educators to economic developers begin a feasibility study on transforming the Memorial Gym into the Memorial Center.
The building is and always has been the property of the Libby School District. KHC is the nonprofit organization that formed and entered into a long-term lease agreement with the school district.
With KHC as the managing entity, the Memorial Center is able to function in its current capacity. Many local and national nonprofit service organizations that hold fundraisers require the facility to accommodate their needs.
In 2009 we were witness to the passing of the torch as the KHC president and co-founder Paul Rumelhart stepped down after more than a decade of service and leadership. Along with his economic organization, Paul relocated to the business park in June. This change was made in good nature and a positive relationship still exists.
Over the summer, our community shared “Oliver!” the first musical theatre camp that had over 70 volunteers bring art to life. Families took to the stage and showcased the talent that surrounds us just as the Cabinets and Kootenai.
These are uncertain economic times, and it is often the arts and leisure that suffer first. It has been a difficult budgetary year for KHC, most of which could never have been predicted or planned for. KHC’s board of directors has weathered several changes as well with new faces filling in where others had sat for years.
The future is never certain, yet is sprinkled with predictability. Look for new benefits to arrive in 2010 at the Memorial Center, reshaped and rejuvenated to keep us connected to you – our community, our supporters, our members, our businesses and our fellow service organizations.
We look forward to building and enhancing these relationships and networks with you. It is through our cooperative efforts that we create a place of mutual benefit, of positive artistic and neighborhood experiences. We are all after the same thing, a healthy community.
Art is as much an aspect of quality of life as a clean environment. Libby’s quality of life has been challenged, though the spirit of this community is resilient and alive.
The Memorial Center is a community center, a sanctuary, a place of refuge and rejoicing. It is beyond a stage, a brush stroke or a musical note. We share in artistic experiences – grow from them and come together as a community.
On behalf of KHC and the Memorial Center, the warmest of holiday wishes as we celebrate with family and friends to welcome a new year with infinite possibility.
(Brandon Roberts is the executive director of the Kootenai Heritage Council).