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Rachel Opinsky, Elaine Helzer and Mary Huebner sign the closing documents for the Oracle Piano Society’s Oracle Center for the Arts.
The Oracle Piano Society (OPS) is proud to announce that they are now officially the owners of the building known as the Oracle Center for the Arts. The building was once the Masonic Lodge. It is located at 700 E. Kingston St. off of American Ave.
“We raised $50,000 and now the task is to make the remaining payments which we will accomplish through performance revenue and donations,” said Rachel Opinsky, Secretary of OPS.
Rachel, along with Mary Huebner and Elaine Helzer, signed the closing papers on Tuesday, Jan. 19. They all expressed their excitement of what the establishment of the center means for them and the community and spoke about their involvement with the project.
“Once OPS started the building fundraiser in August to purchase the old Masonic Lodge to convert it into an art performance center for the Tri-Community and beyond, I realized this dream was larger than ‘just us’; the Board and Artistic Director, Stephen Cook,” Rachel said. “Many people had come to us and expressed the same dream! Thus, OPS simply became the vehicle to deliver this dream with the assistance of volunteers and contributors, from the Tri-Community area, SaddleBrookes and beyond, nationally and internationally! I felt then I had an obligation to the supporters to see this through.”
OPS Treasurer, Mary Huebner said of the Oracle Center for the Arts:
“It means that the Tri-Community now has a place to:
• Hear top-notch musical performances without the long drive to get there.
• Participate in the arts, both performance and visual, on a local level.
• Reinforce children’s development and appreciation for the arts, through education and performance opportunities.
“Thank you to the entire Tri-Community for their generous support of the Oracle Center for the Arts. The Piano Society raised $50,000 toward the building purchase in less than six months time. Whether it was a contribution of time or money, you have helped to make the dream a reality,” Mary added.
Elaine Helzer, Chairman of the Oracle Piano Society, said, “My husband and I moved to Oracle 35 years ago. Not long after I was asked to play for a “Rainbow Girls” function and I obliged as I was also a Rainbow Girl in my teens in Durango, Colorado where I grew up. When I was in that building I thought it would make a perfect Performance Center. Then all these years later I was asked to be on the Board for the Oracle Piano Society. I was thrilled to think that this small community had something like that. As we grew so did our dreams. Stephen Cook our Artist Director and resident Concert Pianist began talking about building a performance center, buying land, etc. I suggested we look at the Masonic Lodge. They didn’t know where it was and hence we checked it out. Imagine my excitement when they thought the same as I did. The movement started and today our dream was realized with the support of our friends, and surrounding communities we all own a stake in this exciting event. We have worked hard and pressed on until our goal was reached. Our many thanks to all who have participated and our thanks to the Masons for seeing our vision and working with us. We can now present ’The Oracle Center for the Arts’.”
Besides a permanent performance venue, the Center is also available to the community as a “for rent” event space. For rental information or to volunteer, contact (623) 295-9677 or opinsky@oraclepianosociety.org. To find out more information about the Oracle Piano Society and upcoming events, visit their website: www.oraclepianosociety.org.
Oracle Center for the Arts
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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