All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

FirstEnergy Foundation gift of $10K lifts Colonial Theatre renovation; ART26201 and City partnership reaps benefits for local youth

Left to Right: Keith Buchanan, Randy Sanders, Laura Meadows, David McCauley, Tammy Reger, Tim Pingley, Cj Rylands, Amby Jenkins, Bryson VanNostrand, Lisa Wharton, Keith Saine, and KB saine.

BUCKHANNON – The renovation of the former Colonial Theatre continues to gain steam with a $10,000 gift from FirstEnergy Foundation announced at the theatre on Friday. The gift will enable continued work on the main theatre space, entrance, and lobby.

Once complete, regular productions will commence, featuring theatrical pieces, performing arts, and music concerts that will thrill audiences of all ages. Following the announcement, ART26201 and City representatives led a tour of the theatre and the recent renovations.

Corporate support like the $10,000 gift from FirstEnergy Foundation will help prepare the Colonial Theatre for upcoming community events.  ART26201 plans to host a second annual variety show later this summer, followed by Dracula by Buckhannon Community Theatre in October. The City will once again host performances at the theatre during Fall Fest slated for September 25 -29 in downtown Buckhannon.

The Colonial Theatre will serve as an expansion of the Stockert Youth & Community Center (SYCC), allowing for additional arts education and youth productions through the afterschool program and summer camp. 

SYCC anticipates utilizing the space in the fall of 2019 for afterschool programming in cooperation with the Upshur County Board of Education and local arts organizations. Buckhannon Community Theatre will make the Colonial Theatre their home, providing young actors with a venue to learn and share the craft.

Opportunities will also be presented for instruction in set design, music/theatre technology, and costuming. ART26201’s Young Filmmaker Camp, led by local filmmaker and educator, Jamie Johnson, will bring film production education to the space each summer.

Participation in the arts can create an avenue for positive youth development, community engagement, and academic achievement. SYCC’s Colonial Theatre will connect young artists to local arts venues and mentors, thanks in part to FirstEnergy Foundation.

The FirstEnergy Foundation gift will be received by the ART26201 and dispersed to the City, once again demonstrating the power of strong public-private partnerships for successful community development projects.

KB Saine of ART26201 said, “FirstEnergy’s representatives really understand the economic impact of investing in the arts in communities like Buckhannon. When their representatives Tim Pingley and Greg Hefner visited the city during tours led by City and ART26201 representatives, they became genuinely excited by the chance to be a part of this main street revitalization.”

Mayor David McCauley said, “In this collaboration, we have a nonprofit, a local government body, and a large corporation working together to provide arts programming and education for our community. When we all work together, we can create amazing spaces in our town that improve the lives of residents and attract tourists and new businesses.”

FirstEnergy representative, Tim Pingley, said, “FirstEnergy recognizes the importance of the arts. We proudly invest in projects such as the Colonial Theatre that benefit the area’s youth and local economy and are essential to the well-being of communities.”

The FirstEnergy Foundation is funded solely by FirstEnergy Corp. and provides support to non-profit, tax-exempt health and human services agencies; educational organizations; cultural and arts programs and institutions; and civic groups in areas served by FirstEnergy’s 10 electric operating companies and in areas where the company conducts business.

The City remains grateful and thrilled to receive previous significant gifts and pledges of financial support from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, & History, ART26201, Buckhannon Community Theatre via the Jim Knorr Memorial Lobby campaign, the McMurtry family, numerous fundraising events, and donations from additional members of the Buckhannon community near and far. The FirstEnergy Foundation joins this growing list of community arts patrons.

Built in 1924, the Colonial Theatre sits just across Main Street from Traders Alley, home to Lascaux MicroTheatre and many outdoor artworks and events. The alley leads to Jawbone Park, which features sculpture and is host to Festival Fridays and other seasonal performing arts.

The Colonial Theatre, Main Street, Traders Alley, and Jawbone Park collectively form the downtown Buckhannon Arts District, complete with ADA accessible sidewalks, parking, and amenities.

Naming opportunities for gallery and theatre spaces are still available. Interested businesses and individuals may donate to the Colonial Theatre’s fundraising campaign by calling City Hall at (304) 472-1651, or residents may set-up a recurring monthly contribution via their City utility payment.  Follow this link for the automated enrollment form:http://buckhannonwv.org/nas/content/live/mybuckhannon22/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Monthly-Recurring-Gift-Form.pdf

Patrons interested in presenting large gifts with naming recognition included should contact Mayor David McCauley through Buckhannon City Hall at (304) 472-1651 or kb saine at ART26201, k.b.saine@gmail.com.

Share this story:

Local Businesses

RECENT Stories

Wesleyan finishes seventh in MEC Commissioners Cup standings

West Virginia Wesleyan finished seventh in the 2024-25 Mountain East Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings, while the University of Charleston captured its eighth consecutive and tenth overall title for all-around athletic excellence.
Summer basketball

Summer basketball league wraps up week one

The Upshur County Summer Basketball League completed its first week at West Virginia Wesleyan College, featuring high-scoring performances from Dalton Hamrick, Cooper Sanders, Derek Sevier, Manadji Tokindang, and Austin Upton.
BUHS Girls Soccer Feature Image

Kelley calls soccer camp a success, has sights on leading B-U girls program to new heights

Logan Kelley, newly named head coach of the Buckhannon-Upshur Lady Buc soccer team, helped oversee a successful youth camp and aims to bring stability and new achievements to the girls program.

Wesleyan professor collecting first-hand accounts, photos to commemorate 1985 flood

A West Virginia Wesleyan College professor and librarian are collecting first-hand stories and photos from the 1985 flood to create an anniversary exhibit preserving campus and community memories of the disaster.

Pizza shop worker arrested for using customer credit card info to gamble online

A pizza shop employee was arrested after allegedly taking a customer’s credit card information from a food order and using it to make unauthorized bets totaling $300 on an online gambling site.

WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital and Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur to hold blood drive on August 15

WVU Medicine St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur will host a blood and food drive on August 15 at the Event Center at Brushy Fork, offering incentives for blood donors.

Buckhannon Water Board Agenda: July 10, 2025

The City of Buckhannon Water Board’s agenda for its July 10, 2025, meeting has been released by My Buckhannon.

Upshur County Commission Agenda: July 10, 2025

Here is the agenda for the Upshur County Commission meeting scheduled for July 10, 2025.

Really Really Free Market and Community Potluck scheduled for Sunday, July 13

A community Really Really Free Market and potluck will be held Sunday, July 13, from 1–3 pm at Walnut and Chestnut streets, featuring free goods, services, food and opportunities to connect and volunteer.