BUCKHANNON – The Colonial Arts Center Board finalized the date for their grand opening.

The CAC board officially decided Oct. 21, 2023, was the ideal date to reveal the best version of their facility to the community.

In a previous meeting, the board initially planned to have the grand opening Oct. 7, but they decided the Oct. 21 date was easier for everyone to attend and ensure all the construction was completed.

At the CAC Board’s June 6 meeting, CAC manager Anne Wilson updated the board on the ongoing construction inside the facility.

“The carpet in the balcony is finished, and we thought we were getting the seats on June 8, but we just found out the other day that it has been postponed once again to June 19,” Wilson said. “It was a fabric ordering issue again, but we should be getting those seats then.”

“We did confirm the telescopic seating has not been delayed, so we are still on time to get those when we expected,” she added.

She said most of the public spaces of the CAC are nearing completion.

“Contractors have primarily been down in the basement; they painted all of the floors down there, all of the doorways, doorframes – really, just finishing up those touches,” Wilson said. “There’s only one place that needs carpet, and it’s the stairwell to the mezzanine where the offices are, so it’s not really a public staircase; it’s more of a private staircase.”

Wilson said she’s searching for options to furnish the public spaces.

“Most of the public spaces are getting finished up, so I’m going to start looking into some furniture options for the basement so we can start thinking about what each room will look like,” she said.

CAC board member Keith Buchanan also gave an update about their fundraising efforts and outlined which areas of the center are still searching for significant donors.

“Just to keep track of progress, we’ve raised about $30,000 since the fundraising committee was formed about a year ago in July, and that’s come from about 30 people who’ve given $500 or more, and we have quite a few who have given and the $250 level,” Buchanan said.

The naming rights for the Creative Suite have been secured by St. Joseph’s Hospital for $50,000, and the lobby and box office naming rights have been reserved by the Buckhannon Community Theatre in honor of Jim Knorr for $25,000. 

The CAC board is still searching for three significant donors to sponsor the Main Hall for $100,000, the balcony theater for $75,000 and the M.I.B. Art Gallery for $50,000.