Friends Of Music Buy Chairs

For Edmond Town Hall

The Newtown Friends of Music recently completed a drive that raised nearly $2,000 to help replace the seats in the Edmond Town Hall Theatre.

John Mahony of Redding Ridge suggested that if Newtown Friends of Music audience members contributed toward new seats for the Edmond Town Hall Theatre, the Friends should match their donations. Ellen Parrella, the group’s president, broached the subject at the next board meeting. The board thought this to be a splendid idea and the scheme was announced at the Friends’ March concert and coupons were made available for contributions.

Music lovers have made good use of the beautiful auditorium of Edmond Town Hall with its excellent acoustics and attractive seating arrangement (not a bad seat in the house). They attend five or more classical music concerts every year sponsored by the Friends of Music — and have done so for the past 27 years — and they agree the seats need replacing.

 Although the seats in the main auditorium were replaced more than 15 years ago, those in the balcony are the original brown leather-upholstered chairs that Mary Elizabeth Hawley had installed when she had the town hall built.

Friends of Music audience members have been generous, contributing $5, $10, $15, $25, $50, or more. Robert Adams France, who resides in Stratford, was particularly generous and contributed enough for almost two-thirds of a chair. The chairs are priced at $300 each.

At the Newtown Friends of Music Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 17, treasurer Peter Marshall turned over one check of $975 from the monies collected from the concert-going public, and board member Paul Gehrett handed a matching check for $975 to Tom Mahoney, Edmond Town Hall manager, and to Gordon Williams, representing the Lions Club, which is spearheading this fund-raising effort as its contribution to Newtown’s Tercentennial. This fundraising effort will buy approximately six and a half new chairs for Edmond Town Hall.

Newtown Friends of Music is in the middle of offering season tickets for its 28th season, with concerts from October 2005 to April 2006. For a free brochure describing all the concerts and school outreach programs call 426-6470 or visit www.newtownfriendsofmusic.org.