Bob Blais: New push for year-round performing arts center in Lake George

Chronicle Managing Editor Cathy DeDe writes: Mayor Bob Blais has launched a new effort to create a year-round performing arts center in Lake George Village.

He said the most promising spaces now are the Towers Hall carriage house on the Fort William Henry property, and the Lake George Forum.

“Both have plusses and minuses,” Mr. Blais said. “The carriage house has a great location and it’s suitable to be covered to 200 to 250 people with a balcony. Problems are parking and of course the fort wants to own the building to use for weddings and so on. But [Fort William Henry Corporation CEO] Kathy Muncil is very excited to talk about it.

Mayor Blais said Ralph Macchio, Sr., is equally amenable to consider The Forum.

Mr. Blais said, “The Forum, as you know, was built to be an ice arena, but they’ve done the Elvis Festival there quite successfully. It’s a larger venue and it has all the amenities, a lobby, concessions, meeting rooms. There would certainly have to be some renovations, likely a lot more expensive than the Carriage House.”

He said, “Once we know what we are looking at, we will likely go out and seek some grants and try to match the grants with private donations, rather than the Town and Village spending tax payers’ money on this.”

Mr. Blais recalls that years ago, when the Lake George Opera Festival was moving from Diamond Point to Queensbury High School, he’d pitched the idea of purchasing and converting Charley’s Saloon at the old Gaslight Village — but didn’t find support for that.

Now, years later (and after the Opera moved to Saratoga and changed its name), Mr. Blais says he found himself at the Opera Saratoga gala at the Inn at Erlo-west. “They raised about $250,000 in four hours, and a lot of these people are friends of mine, from here, supporting the opera — and it’s in Saratoga! We need that here.”

He said, “People ask about the high school auditorium, but that is their space and not a performing arts center. That needs food service, wine and beverages, a lobby. Look at Proctors and The Palace Theatre, the Strand, the Wood Theater, and the Carol Theater in Chestertown. That’s what I want to see, and Lake George doesn’t have anything like that.”

“We’ve got interest and the need is certainly there,” Mayor Blais tells The Chronicle. “This would be a major addition to our ability to keep people’s businesses open year-round. The worst thing as far as I’m concerned would be to sit here and do nothing.”

Mayor’s committee of 10

Lake George Village Mayor Robert Blais has formed a committee to pursue the idea of a year-round performing arts center in Lake George. Members include Jonathan Newell and board president Stu Kuby of the revived Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls; Lake George Arts Project director John Strong; Alexander Lombard of the Lake George Music Festival; Kathy Muncil of the Fort William Henry; Patricia Dow of Lake George Steamboat Company; Town Historian Margy Mannix; Ken Mark of Adirondack Scenic and town councilwoman Marisa Muratori.

Anyone interested in participating may contact the Village Hall at 668-5771 ext. 8.

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