LANDSCAPING was completed on Saturday and Sunday by a hard working crew. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard. It looks great! Thanks to David Watts for having his crew get everything ready for us and for drawing the plan. Thanks for the committee for all their hard work getting ready. There is one more fun element to the plan - the hanging of set pieces along the side. As soon as MG&E tells us where the gas lines are so we don't hit them, we can hang that stuff too.

PAINTING DOOR FRAMES - Jeff Holcomb was in again to paint and the door frames look great. This time Big Mike couldn't help but "little mikey" and Rick Owens helped out. Now we can hang the rest of the doors....hint hint - who wants to help Jeff Molzahn with that project?

LAST WALL CLOSED IN - Mark and his crew of John Bass and Joel Kapusta (from Oregon) got plywood on the final wall so it is all closed in.

COSTUME POLES - Tom Monk, Mark, and Frank Schroeder finished putting the costume hangers in the ceiling.

Please get into your gardens this week and thin those perennials! We would love for you to share your beautiful plants with VACT! Give us ANYTHING you don't want--we will find a good home for it in OUR very own VACommunityT garden. We have both full sun and shaded (north facing) beds.

We will be working on the landscaping and planting the perennial beds (and thank Dave Watts for helping BIGTIME) all day on Saturday, October 2, from 9 AM to 4 PM and we will have one of those famous VACT picnic lunches too. Bring your shovels (there will also be washed gravel to haul), wheelbarrows, spades, trowels, watering cans, gloves and strong bodies so we can get it all done. And we probably can use a couple folks with hammers and drills to help put up the fun old set pieces among the rocks, too.

Label your perennials with your name, name of plant, expected blooming time, height and color. Bring your perennials on Friday, Oct. 1 or before 10 am on Saturday, Oct. 2. Place them to the left of the big garage door so that we won't miss them. But please don't bring them earlier than Friday, because we won't be there to water and care for them.

If, by some chance, we actually seem to be "rained out!" We'll put information on the new building's answering machine that day. Call 848-7660.

Dale hooked up the phones last night also. We have the fanciest phone system for a poor theater group! The VACT phone # is 848-7660 in case you want to call us there!

The cast will be working on set this Saturday, but if anyone wanted to work on the building - come on down around 9 AM. We have more shelves to build, furniture to move, and still need to put up two more costume poles.

Let Dee know if you can help on Saturday.

August 9, 2004 -- Thanks for all the great workers this weekend!  Bill, Alex and Callie Rosenbaum, Marja, Greg and Michelle Matysik, Matthew Henslin, Mark, me, and especially Jeff Holcomb and his friend BIG MIKE finished up all the primer on Saturday in about 4 hours.  Steve, Mark and Rick Henslin worked on shelving upstairs.  All great work!

Click on the photos for a closer view.

August 2, 2004 -- Thanks to all the wonderful folks who helped on Saturday to get the storage areas cleaned out!  If you couldn't make it, don't worry, there will LOTS more opportunities for you to "put some time in at the building".  We need shelves built, a few more loads from the Roethlisberger farm, lots of loads from Watts Landscaping, painting in the rooms, and lots and lots of ORGANIZING!  But it is wonderful to have a good portion of "our stuff" in the buidling!!

BUILDING PROGRESS REPORT:  The drywall was finished on Saturday morning.  The drywall finish started on Sunday.

Thanks again to everyone who helped.  All our tired and sore muscles are worth it considering what we accomplished!

Click on the photos for a closer view.

July 29, 2004 -- We aren't as far along with the building as we'd like but WE ARE MOVING on Saturday!  We are EXCITED!  We have a list of about 25 people who have said they will be there.  Let Dee know if you will be coming too.  We will start at 8 AM.

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July 27, 2004 -- Things are continuing to move along. The furnaces were delivered today and the heating should be done in time for the drywaller to work this weekend. The electrician is putting the lights in the ceiling and there is hope that the transformer will be set this week yet. Gas should be in too.

We are going to pick out the FREE carpet tomorrow and will have it installed as soon as the painting is done. Tom Monk has donated the use of his "super painting machine" - actually - we have lots of those in the VACT a.k.a. Actors, right?!?

The crew to hang costume pipes will have to be delayed from Saturday until next week because the truss hangers did not come in. We will put out a call for a few helpers next week. Maybe Tuesday night?

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July 20, 2004 -- Things are continuing to move along.  The furnaces were delivered today and the heating should be done in time for the drywaller to work this weekend.  The electrician is putting the lights in the ceiling and there is hope that the transformer will be set this week yet.  Gas should be in too.  We are going to pick out the FREE carpet tomorrow and will have it installed as soon as the painting is done.

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July 12, 2004 -- Two crews worked on Saturday morning at the building. Rick, Jeff, Rich and Steve W. hung several of the metal frame doors that Jeff found.  Meanwhile, Mark, Dale and Steve N. wired all the rooms for phone and data.  Thanks also to Dee and Christine for cleanup work.

Click on the photos for a closer view.

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July 6, 2004 --

• Stud Walls : Jeff studded the walls for the utility room that didn't get done on the work day. There are still a few walls that need to be put in which he will do.
• Interior Doors : Jeff got some free doors with metal frames. He is hauling them over one at a time and installing the frames in the appropriate openings.
• Drywall: Jeff has arranged for the drywall and will take care of it. He says they can start next week.(THANKS JEFF FOR EVERYTHING!!)
• Plumbing: Now that the walls are done, Benjamin has moved in and hopes to be done tomorrow.
• Heating: We got 2 more heating proposals last week and Dick compared (THANKS DICK)them and we chose Dave Jones Heating. They say they will have no trouble finishing by the end of July.
• Electrical: The electrician has most of the work done in the enclosed area. But we will have to push him to get the rest done by the end of July. Dick found some possible free light fixtures for the rehearsal and storage area (THANKS DICK).
• Electrical Service: I met Alliant and the electrician at the building last week so we that should be moving along now.
• Gas Service: I have spoken to MG&E and the application for service is complete now.
• Parking Lot: Watts Landscape has the parking lot and around the building graded (THANKS DAVID) and we have started to get bids from Paving contractors. Hopefully, they can fit us in before the end of July

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June 30, 2004 -- Thanks to Chris Gauthier, Mark, Dee, Gary Nechvatal, Dale and Steve Nickels, a good portion of the dismantled Oscar Mayer Theater will be living in Verona. We got seats, pipes, cables, and platforms. We are all tired and sweaty, but we got the job done.

Thanks guys for the hard work - you get reserved seats when we start using them!!!

Click on the photos for a closer view.

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June 5, 2004 -- The Walls Go Up!

This week, while the cast of Oklahoma! were busy building sets, a separate crew raised the walls at the new building.

Click on the photos for a closer view.

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May 26, 2004 -- WE HAVE CONCRETE!!!

Thanks to the "styrofoam crew" - Jane, Christine, Dee, Eleanor ....oh and the men too, Joel, Jeff, Rick, Mark,and Tom for preparing the site! And for Jeff Molzahn, Dick Vock and Rick and Jeff's crew that poured the concrete. It looks beautiful!! Also, to Jeff and Christine for cutting and sealing it on Sunday.

Jeff says we need to stay off it for a week, but then we should put up some stud walls!! Who's up for that?

Click on the photos for a closer view.

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May 17, 2004 -- Well, it's been a slow month for the building construction. The underground plumbing is done, and the underground electric should be next. Then we can pour the concrete floor.

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April 12, 2004 -- The overhead door went in last week and the sewer and water laterals.  This week the plumbing gets started.

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March 26, 2004 -- Cleary Building finished up their work yesterday. The building is done!! We still need plumbers, electricians, etc. but the main building is finished.  Next step - PLUMBING.  We need to get the underground work done before CONCRETE.  Dick Vock is working on the subs so hopefully we will keep moving along.  When the concrete is done, we can have a big day when everyone comes in and puts up the walls.  All our expert carpenters will get a chance to show their skill.  However, THIS TIME the 30 foot rule does NOT apply!!

Click on the photo for a closer view.

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March 19, 2004 -- Some more pictures from the week of March 14. 

Click on the photo for a closer view.

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March 16, 2004 -- We've got a roof!  We've got a door! 

The VACT building gets a door.
Click on the photo for a closer view.

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March 10, 2004 -- Yesterday Cleary made the biggest visual change in the building.  We now have all the trusses in place, and all the furring strips are up. They also started working on the deck and have all the support poles in place and the front header is in.

It's starting to look like a real building!
Click on the photo for a closer view.

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March 9, 2004 -- Construction is coming along on the VACT Rehearsal and Storage Building, and fundraising, too. 

The VACT building takes shape.
Click on the photo for a closer view.

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March 4, 2004 -- After a slight setback because of underground concrete, construction has begun on the VACT Rehearsal and Storage Building.  Cleary is now planting the posts that will support the building.

The support poles for the VACT building are going in.
Click on the photo for a closer view.

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February 24, 2004 -- Just talked to Cleary and they hope to start the building on Thursday. How exciting! Now we actually see something going up. We still need to get the concrete and mechanicals done, but the shell will be up VERY SOON!
The latest fundraising report from had $19,810 plus $15,000 of in-kind donations that brings the total up to $35,000.

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February 12, 2004 -- Cleary dug some test holes on our site last week and HAPPILY there was no problem with water OR CONCRETE. They did hit some concrete but it didn't slow them down. This is ALL good news. Thanks to all of you that have made contributions. With the in-kind giving, we are close to $20,000 now.

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February 4, 2004 -- Watts Landscape Service finished clearing the lot and hauling the stone. Cleary was out and dug some test holes. We are still on schedule for a late February construction date. The fundraising is going well. The last total is over $10,000 cash with pledges of another $2000. Also, there is $6000 of "in Kind donation" as well.

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January 29, 2004 -- On Friday, January 16, VACT broke ground for its new Rehearsal and Storage facility.  The building materials have been ordered and construction should start in about a month. 

Ron Klaas, Mark Holten, Sean Cleary, Dick Vock, Dee Baldock and Mayor John Volker

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January 14, 2004 -- On Monday, January 12, the City of Verona gave final approval for VACT to build its new rehearsal and storage building.  Groundbreaking will be on Friday and the building should start going up about a month later.  Fundraising for the new facility is underway and letters will be going out to all our VACT members and friends in the next week.  Here are a couple of drawings of how the building will look outside and inside.  You can click on the pictures to see a larger image.

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