The Fire

Thanks to all who helped.

There was a fire in the Parkside Playhouse the afternoon of June 26th, 2006. The fire started at a high-voltage electrical panel in the northwest corner of the building and burned through the roof. Due to a quick and effective response by the Vicksburg Fire Department, the fire was contained to that part of the building, and to the roof over the green room. There was, however, smoke damage to the entire building. Although the building structure was undamaged, extensive repairs were required to remove debris and smoke-damaged furnishings, clean every square inch of the building, repair and repaint the damaged areas, and replace fire-damaged equipment.

Decisions about the upcoming season were made throughout the Fall of 2006 as the repairs proceeded and more information became available. Gold in the Hills continued at Vicksburg High School, and we did have a 2006-2007 season.

We sponsored a fundraiser, the First Annual VTG Family Fun Fest, September 16th, 2006 at Vicksburg Factory Outlets. We appreciate their support, as well as that of the public who came out.

We did additional fundraising by hosting a gala special musical revue, Rising from the Ashes, September 21, 22, and 24, 2006 and by soliciting donations. Fundraising was necessary because of loss of revenue, because we did not carry enough contents insurance to cover the loss/damage of everything in the building, because additional repairs were needed that were not covered by insurance (such as sanding and painting the stage floor), and because we incurred extra expenses that were not covered by insurance (such as rental of a storage conex). The contents coverage was $27,744 and the loss was over $110,000. While we did not attempt to replace everything all at once (such as costumes), we did need to replace tools and stage lights. We never intended, nor could we afford, to cover all building contents. Our coverage was intended to cover more likely events, such as storm damage from a tree falling on the building. We have been very prudent about how we are spending our insurance reimbursement for contents and for specific building components (such as backdrops, lights, and curtains). The remaining money from the insurance reimbursement has been combined with the fundraising revenue into a Real Property Upgrade Fund which will allow us to make improvements to our building and to replace major building items in the future when they reach the end of their economic life.

Thanks to The Vicksburg Post for their coverage of the firefighters' efforts, the reaction among our members during the fire, a follow up on the day after the fire, a story about our recovery efforts on July 9, and coverage of our reopening.

The show did go on! The contractor work was complete enough to allow us to open Best of Friends, the first play in the repaired facility, on December 1, 2006.

Photos

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Curtains & Pit Cover, 11 & 13 December 2006

28 November 2006

27 November 2006
The conex is gone!

24-25 November 2006

22 November 2006

21 November 2006

16 November 2006

12 November 2006

7 November 2006

3 November 2006

2 November 2006

1 November 2006

28 October 2006

26 October 2006

21 October 2006

14 October 2006

5 October 2006

27 September 2006

21 September 2006

VTG First-Annual Family Fun Fest, 16 September 2006

Bob Van Den Akker's Fun Fest 2006 Photos

11-15 September 2006

5-9 September 2006

31 August 2006

Jim Miller's Photos, 30 August 2006

30 August 2006

28 August 2006
The stage scaffold erection was completed last Saturday. Today, the cleaning continued in the auditorium, shop, and tunnel, and the partition walls were started in the electrical room.

Jim Miller's Photos, 24 & 26 August 2006
Jim demonstrates the preferred way to change light bulbs in the auditorium.

25 August 2006
Work continues on the stage scaffold. ServPro is sealing the walls in the green room and dressing rooms. The shop is being cleaned.

24 August 2006
The lobby floor tile has been removed and the auditorium scaffold installation is complete. Installation has started on the stage scaffold. ServPro has cleaned walls in the green room, dressing rooms, and the tunnel, and has applied sealant to the tunnel walls. The lobby is being cleaned.

23 August 2006
The work continues with the removal of the lobby floor tile, scaffold installation, and the removal of the stage curtains and backdrops. The danger room HVAC units have also been removed.

22 August 2006
The scaffold installation continues. The sheetrock and insulation have been removed from the Shop ceiling. The stage curtains are being removed for cleaning.

21 August 2006
The scaffolding is being installed in the auditorium and the demolition in the lobby, green room, and tunnel is complete.

11 August, 2006
Thanks to everybody who has been helping with cleanup!!

7 August 2006
The auditorium seats are being removed by ServPro to be cleaned and treated with ozone to remove the fire smell.

23 July 2006
We're making progress!

29 June 2006
Photos by Kat

27 June 2006
Photos by Mike Calnan, Nicole Birch, and Alaina Fordice. This was the first time we were allowed back in the building.

26 June 2006
Photos by Amy Bednar