|
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. |
