Donors Thanked For Their Help With Lions Club Town Hall Seats Project

By Shannon Hicks

There were a lot of stomping feet as people arrived in the lobby of Edmond Town Hall last Friday night, followed by plenty of talk about the weather. A snow and ice storm that was heavier than expected created plenty of traffic issues, and as New Englanders are prone to do, most of those who coming through the town hall’s front doors were ready to talk about their drives home and compare road conditions.

Those who decided to venture out on Friday once the worst of the storm had passed were welcomed at 45 Main Street by members of the Lions Club of Newtown, who then directed the evening’s guests to the Alexandria Room or the building’s theater. There was not a regular movie screening at the town hall that evening; instead, a special screening of the 1955 feature East of Eden was coupled with a reception hosted by the Lions to formally thank the donors who helped the club complete the recent undertaking of putting new seats into the theater.

The new seats have replaced the previous set of movie theater chairs that had been in place since 1960. The old ones had more than paid for themselves through decades of use, and had become almost unbearable in their comfort level (or lack thereof) in recent years. The new seats were purchased from the San Diego, Calif.-based company Seating Concepts, after the Town Hall Board of Managers considered proposals from several companies. The selection was based on cost, comfort, and appearance.

The new seats, the company’s Teardrop (BY350) model, are still red, but have cushions that are firmer than the former ones, a back that seems to be taller than their previous counterparts, and also carry a convenience that is being found is more and more theaters: hide-away armrests.

Moviegoers and concert attendees (as well as those who attended the December 1 inauguration, and even a pair of recent comedy events) have been enjoying the seats for a few months. Friday’s special screening was to formally thank the donors who made the new accommodations possible.

“We owe all of this to you,” Lions Club member Gordon Williams said. Mr Williams coordinated the town hall seats project for the Lions, which was the tercentennial project for the group. The Lions were instrumental in coordinating the majority of donations from individuals, families, organizations, and businesses during a campaign that lasted nearly 18 months. The club itself also contributed to the project’s success, with 27 Lions purchasing seats.

“This started as our tercentennial project, and just kept growing,” Mr Williams said. “Lots of people who don’t even live here any longer purchased seats,” he continued, naming Harvey Hubbell and Larry Wescott among the nonresident donors. “Gilbert Stanley, who now lives in Trumbull, memorialized his high school class [NHS 1949] with his seat,” added Mr Williams. Another donor had decided to honor the NHS Class of 1959, the last class to have its graduation ceremony at the town hall.

The back of each seat has a plaque on it, and bears the name the person(s) who paid for the seat, the name of someone being honored by a donor, or even a quotation.

Betty and George Lincoln decided to honor the victims of Flight 93 with their purchase, and countless others honored friends and family members with their purchases. The Mitchell family bought two seats and decided to put quotes from two of their favorite movies on their plaques. Their selected quotes were, “Mama always said life is like a box of chocolates” and “Tomorrow is another day.”

The Barranca, Blanco, Luongo, and Nahmias families watched their daughters become friends while in kindergarten and decided to honor that friendship through the Lions Club project. So on Friday night, members of all four families went looking for their shared seat, which proudly bears a plaque that reads “Kindergarten Friends at Hawley, 2004-2005,” followed by all four family names.

Mr Williams praised Clark Kathan, the building’s superintendent, “who among other things, volunteered with his crew to put on every plaque.” He also thanked Edmond Town Hall Manager Tom Mahoney, “who was really Johnny on the Spot for everything,” as well as Mr Mahoney’s administrative assistant, Marcy Becker.

Each seat cost $300. The cost for the entire project was about $150,000.

Fundraising for the project was actually finished in February 2006, said Mr Williams, but it took another year to get the appropriate permits, work groups coordinated, and installations done. The main floor of the theater, which now accommodates roughly 370 attendees, was closed for a few weeks back in June while the new seats were installed. Carpeting and footlights were also done as part of the theater’s renovation.

For an hour prior to the December 7 screening, invitees had been mingling in the Alexandria Room, enjoying hors d’oeuvres and treats supplied by Newtown-based The Cook & The Baker, LLC, owned by Meg and Orlando Soto. While they conversed and enjoyed the refreshments, guests also read the stories and looked at photos that showed the progress of the project.

If they were not upstairs enjoying that part of the reception, attendees were downstairs looking for their seats. Charts in the town hall lobby helped donors locate their seats, and Lions Club members also serving as ushers helped those who had trouble locating their seats.

Carol-Lee Karlson-Berlin went into the theater early to find her seats. She decided to sit in the seat that had been purchased to honor her parents.

“I’m so glad they did this,” she said. “I usually sit in the back, but wanted an aisle seat. Just on a whim I asked for one, and [Gordon Williams] was very accommodating.”

Janet Woycik was also pleased to find her seat. It is located in Row J, of course.

Seating Concepts reconfigured the space in the Edmond Town Hall auditorium, allowing for additional spaces for those with disabilities as well as the slightly larger new seats. What may have been lost when the theater went from 411 to 360 seats will be more than made up for through the comfort of audiences for decades to come.

“We are here tonight to celebrate Mary Elizabeth Hawley’s town hall,” Mr Williams told the evening’s guests shortly before the screening began. About 125 people turned up for the event, which was lower than the 200 who were expected before the storm hit.

Jay Gill, the chairman of the town hall board of managers, also spoke for a few minutes before Friday’s screening.

“This is just the start of our project for the town hall,” said Mr Gill. “We cannot thank you people, and the Lions, for getting us started in returning Edmond Town Hall to its former glory… with a few modern conveniences.”

The balcony of the theater still contains 150 seats, originals from 1930 when the town hall was built. They are next on the list of replacements, however.

The film for December 7 had been picked by town hall manager Tom Mahoney, said Mr Williams, for two reasons.

“It’s a classic and its director, Elia Kazan, happened to have been a part-time Newtown resident,” he explained. As Mr Williams stepped off the stage, the lights dimmed and everyone got comfortable for the evening’s feature.