Monday night’s fundraiser for Save Our Strand won’t fund the majority of renovations the venerable theater needs — but it was a much needed “drop in the bucket.”
That was how theater manager Jeri Swinik characterized the event at Zois’ Pizza Palace, 48 Main St.
“We’ve restored and refurbished quite a bit of it over the years, but there is still a lot to do,” Swinik said.
Zois’ Pizza Palace, Crown Liquors and Eder Bros. Liquor distributors offered the setting to help raise some of the estimated $50,000 needed to renovate the theater.
Zois’ owner James Tzepos said every penny his restaurant brought in for the event would go to the theater.
At $25 to $30 a ticket, organizers estimated $700 was raised at the door. That number did not include raffle ticket sales.
And the tally was given before James Cohen walked in with a $500 check from The Valley Community Foundation.
As president of the foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life in the lower Naugatuck Valley, Cohen wanted to help support one of the handful of single screen theaters left in the state.
“This is an added feature to the town. There aren’t many of these left,” Cohen said.
The Strand is more than 100 years old. Swinik noted it has a stage that once would have served for vaudeville acts and is still suitable for small performances or presentations.
“It is an institution in town that is still vibrant and we need to keep it going,” said state Rep. Theresa Conroy.
First Selectman Paul Roy recalled the role the theater played in his youth.
“When you were in seventh or eighth grade you would call a girl and ask her if she wanted to go to a movie and you would meet here there,” Roy said.
Photo: Joanne M. Pelton
Before new carpets, the Strand needs to upgrade its seating by reducing the 300 small seats to 200 more accommodating ones.
The thin seats haven’t been upgraded in about as long as anyone can recall. The same cannot be said for the average American’s waistline.
“You get someone 20 pounds overweight in one of those chairs and they are just uncomfortable,” Swinik said.
Still, the money raised at the event will go into a growing collection pot that Swinik and others hope to eventually add grant money. The theater does not appear to be on any historic site registers, despite its age.
“Things like that are valuable parts of our past. If they can be saved they should be saved,” Cohen said.
