Harrington Opera House schedules events

The Harrington Opera House Society is starting off its 2015 season with the return of The Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band, along with the one-and-only Dave McClure Friday, March 20, at 7 p.m. The band garnered another Best Harmony Award from the Western Music Association in 2014 and agreed to bring their original compositions, finger-picking folk arrangements and toe-tapping traditional western swing selections back for another performance to benefit the Harrington Opera House. Those who attended last year’s concert will hear some new arrangements, and those who missed them will have another opportunity to experience the spirit of the contemporary West through their unique, soothing harmonies and Dave McClure’s side-splitting humor.

Advance tickets ($15 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under) are available from AmericanWest Bank in Davenport, Harrington Foods and Harrington City Hall. They are also available on-line at http://horse-crazy-cowgirls-harringtonoh.bpt.me/ or by calling Linda at 509-253-4719.

A fundraiser for the Harrington Opera House piano fund is also planned at the Steinway Gallery of Spokane (13418 E. Nora Ave.) on April 18 at 7 p.m. The performers will be EWU students, faculty and alumni and will feature chamber music written after 1900. Some pieces will be performed for the first time.

Harrington has moved their Spring Festival to the third weekend in May this year to take advantage of warmer weather (who knew?). The event has been renamed Cruzin’ Harrington and will include an expanded car show, the usual city-wide garage sales and other activities including a quilt show sponsored by the Harrington Chamber of Commerce on Saturday morning, May 16, and jazz music in the afternoon at the Opera House. The first Rummage Elevator Fundraiser for the year is also planned for that Saturday.

Returning visitors to the Opera House will notice continued improvements to the auditorium. The east and south walls have been plastered and painted, stage curtains donated by EWU (formerly hung in Showalter Hall) have been resized and installed, and doors and woodwork have been painstakingly refurbished. In addition to the historic building rehabilitation, piano lessons in the building have expanded to two days a week this year. Watch for details on a student recital to be scheduled late this spring.

More information on the Harrington Opera House Society is available on http://www.harringtonoperahouse.org, on Facebook or by calling the secretary, Linda Wagner, at 509-253-4719. Wagner is also the contact to make arrangements to attend the Horse Crazy Cowgirls Concert via video-feed in The Art Room for those unable to negotiate the stairs to the second floor auditorium. The Society is proud of all the accomplishments since the building was rescued from potential demolition in 1992. There’s still a long way to go and more funds are needed to install an elevator and other amenities to the second floor and to rehabilitate first-floor and basement spaces. Recently, one longstanding member of the Society was heard to say, “I thought it was a crazy, impossible idea to fix up this old building back in 1992, but look how far we’ve come!”