The stage curtain from the former Community House was successfully moved to Centennial Hall on Wednesday morning, September 23rd.
Chris Hadsel and another person from Curtains Without Borders inspected the curtain on Monday. They provided some very helpful advice on safely removing the curtain from its installation on the Community House stage, and provided some material for protecting it during the move.
On Wednesday, Nick Rehmert and crew took a break from painting at the Centennial Hall complex. They are used to working on irreplaceable historic items, but the curtain was potentially a challenge due to its awkward size and fragile nature.
The trickiest part was disconnecting the upper edge of the curtain, where it was attached to the framing above the stage. Large screws holding clamping boards to the framing had to be cut through, which required operating a Sawzall in close proximity to the curtain. But all went well, with no damage.
The curtain is now stored in Centennial Hall, rolled up and protected. At some point in the future, pending discussion with Chris, it is planned that she will return to do cleaning and repair of minor, pre-existing, damage on the curtain. She will also prepare the curtain for its new location, on a downstairs wall in the Hall.
Thank you to Donald and Marion Monson for donating the curtain at the Community House stage to Centennial Hall. And thank you to Chris Hadsel from Curtains Without Borders (http://www.curtainswithoutborders.org/) and to Nick Rehmert and his crew for their efforts to move the curtain.