Support your local musician

Let’s be honest. The idea of building a concert hall near Carrie Blake Park seems a bit audacious.

There will be those, who upon hearing the proposal for the 12,000-square-foot addition to the James Center for the Performing Arts, will think the idea utterly preposterous.

After all, economic times are tough and money, especially for extraneous venues such as concert halls, is tight.

That’s not to say the idea isn’t a good one or that it isn’t worth supporting, because it is on both counts. It’s just that it’s going to be a hard sell, to the city council and to the citizens.

Many of us are hearing about this plan for the first time after a recent and ongoing series of presentations offered by the Sequim City Band and its partner supporters.

The Sequim City Band is a fixture in Sequim, one that allows musicians the opportunity to play their instruments and entertain audiences.

During the summer months the Sunday afternoon concerts are offered at the outdoor band shelter at the James Center, part of the Water Reuse Demonstration Park. Early spring and fall concerts generally move to indoor venues, such as the Sequim High School auditorium. Unfortunately, it is getting more and more difficult to find places for the band to perform.

The concert hall would allow for indoor concerts when the weather doesn’t cooperate and perhaps for more an extended concert season during the colder months.

But, this proposed concert hall addition isn’t just for the Sequim City Band. Surprisingly, there are at least 30 music groups that would make use of such a hall, including the Olympic Peninsula Men’s Chorus, Stardust Big Band, Olympic Express Big Band and the Sequim Symphony. And who knows how many other bands and groups we could entice to play on the new stage?

Concert halls, performing arts centers and intimate theaters are important to any community, be it rural or urban. Of course, in cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Seattle, concert halls are abundant. Last fall, five concert halls opened in cities throughout the U.S., at a cost of nearly $1 billion.

How did they do it? The same way rural communities build facilities that enhance the availability of artistic performance, which is to apply for grants and matching funds and, perhaps most importantly, ask the citizens for their financial and moral support.

It’s just on a smaller scale when you get to a city the size of Sequim, which in no way diminishes its importance to the community.

And that is what those who are hoping to build the concert hall are doing: writing grants and taking their case to the community.

This concert hall doesn’t come cheaply. The price tag is about $5 million with the money coming from matching donations and we, the citizens. To their credit, the partnering supporters have a matching donation up to $1.5 million and have another $100,000 in hand. But they have a ways to go.

Do we need a concert hall? It depends on how you define need, because we certainly can live without it. But there are precious few venues for live musical performances here and Sequim would benefit from having a 550-seat concert hall with a stage that could accommodate up to 100 performers. We might even give Port Townsend, the crown jewel of concerts, a run for its money. How does the Sequim Music Festival sound?

Now it’s up to those partnering to build the concert hall to convince all of us this is a win-win situation that not only supports local musicians, but in the end, will serve as a community builder that brings neighbors and visitors together for afternoons and evenings of musical entertainment.

Walking for the benefit of others
There are two events taking place in the near future in Sequim that deserve our attention and support, one not quite as familiar as the other.

The first one, called the Memory Walk, is on Saturday and is a first-ever for Sequim.

Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, the Memory Walk is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. There are walks in more than 600 communities, and thanks to a couple of Sequim women, the walk is now part of our community, at least for this year.

Jan Orr, director of marketing for the Dungeness Courte Alzheimer’s Community, and Sharon Waters of Rainshadow Home Health Services, organized the walk and hope that it will become an annual event as it has been in neighboring Silverdale for the past 13 years.

Money raised goes to the Alzheimer’s Association to fund research, as well as lending support to patients and their families. Those who have had first-hand experience with watching a mother or father fade away due to Alzheimer’s understand how tough the disease can be.

The other walk is the familiar Relay for Life, set for Aug. 9-10. Relay is a time to celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember those who died and get inspired to fight back.

Teams and individuals typically walk a track for 24 hours and have raised funds that go directly to the American Cancer Society. Highlights of the event include the survivor lap, whereby those who have overcome cancer “take a lap.” Perhaps the most emotional portion of the weekend is the luminaria ceremony of hope, where candles light the track in honor of cancer survivors and those who have been lost to cancer.

Charity walks are a great way to get a little exercise, meet and talk with neighbors and raise money for a good cause. Both the Memory Walk and Relay for Life promise all that and more.

For information on the Memory Walk, or to participate, call 681-6206 or 582-9303. For information on Relay for Life, call 461-0670.

Mary Powell can be reached at editor@sequimgazette.com or at 683-3311.