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A new roof and a green future need your support

The Walpole Footlighters are launching a new capital fundraising drive to help the organization pay for two important projects for our theater.

The Walpole Footlighters began in 1924 when Frank Mansur, principal of Walpole High, called together 12 people who were already known on the local stage for their work in the teachers' play or in shows put on by other organizations. In 1957, Charles Sumner Bird presented the group with a warehouse on the edge of Bird Park in East Walpole. Members and friends completed the hard work to turn it into a well-equipped theater space. The Footlighters are fortunate among other community theaters to have our own space, but that means we also have the responsibility of the upkeep. We pay for much of that from our ticket revenues, but from time to time, we have faced substantial costs for special projects.

 Workers bring the new roof comes together, a sorely needed repair for the theater.

The latest example of that is our roof. The roof has been sprouting leaks for the past few years over the backstage area, endangering our lighting instruments and our props. The time had come to replace the old roof with a new rubber membrane roof that will last for many years. That project was completed over the summer of 2016. We have also decided it's time to go "green" with solar panels on the roof. Theater lighting and the air conditioning need a lot of power! With solar panels, we will be able to generate a lot of our own electricity and even give back to the grid. That project is high on our to-do list.

We are proud of our theater and the level of entertainment we've provided to our patrons in Walpole and the surrounding towns for the past 92 years. These projects will help us keep the footlights on for many years to come. But they are expensive: $39,000 for the roof and $35,000 for the solar installation. Every donation to our Capital Fund will help support this project.

As you leave the theater tonight, our Ushers will be collecting what you can give to help our organization shoulder the high cost of this project.  Anything you give will be much appreciated, and help ensure quality productions continue in this building for years to come.

Thank you!