BUCKHANNON – The Colonial Arts Center unveiled its finished façade and removed the wooden barrier blocking its entrance.

The team working on the CAC construction revealed the front of the building May 11. Colonial Arts Center Manager Anne Wilson said the reveal had been long awaited by the CAC board and the community.

“The community has been very patient, and we’ve all been very patient through this process, and I know we wanted to have a grand opening sooner, but now that this is down, I think the community will have some more momentum and some excitement with the project,” Wilson said. “This is really one of the final pieces, and after this, we’re nearly finished — there’s just a few final finishing touches inside, and it’s really exciting the building will be fully ready for community use at this point.”

The theater’s seating installation is a highly anticipated construction component, but Wilson said they are also working on the basement right now. 

“There’s still just a little bit of work they need to do to finish up in the basement; I would say the biggest thing we’re excited about is getting all that art in the basement installed from St. Joseph’s Hospital — that will be the next big project,” Wilson said. “We’ll also get the donor recognition wall up in the lobby, so those are going to be the next two big pieces.”

The grand opening for the CAC is tentatively set for Oct. 7, and the new telescopic seating will be installed in August or September.

“We had an excellent turnout for all four shows of ‘Red Velvet Cake War,'” Wilson said. “The final show on Sunday afternoon actually sold out, and we had to bring some more seats from downstairs. The next show the BCT is going to do at the CAC will be in the middle of October — Oct. 13 and 14 –and they’re doing a murder mystery dinner theater; it’s a collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce.”

The next two events taking place at the CAC will be Art 26201’s “Liars Contest” on June 16, and The Rustic Mechanicals, a Shakespeare touring group, will perform their summer comedy July 7.

Buckhannon City Recorder Randy Sanders, who is on the CAC Board, said he was thrilled about the façade’s completion.

“This is a day we’ve been waiting for a few years now; you always come back to the entrance of a building, and this is going to be a great way to welcome people to the Arts Center,” Sanders said.

Below are a few scenes from this morning’s reveal: