THERE'S MORE GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES

What's going on at the Princess is not always obvious.  Naturally, there is ongoing work inside the main auditorium, but you have to go around back these days, in the alley behind the Princess, to see some of the major changes and work.

On my way up Queen Street Saturday, where I normally park for "Cruisin' In Harriman", I spotted new construction behind the old Margrave Drug store and the old Dr. Tappan office.  The construction is extended from those old buildings and down the side of the Princess Theater.

This construction is currently a new addition behind the old store fronts that will house the stage prop and prop design area, and dressing rooms for the Princess stage performances.  This portion will also house the new men and women's restroom facilities, while the front section (nearer the street) will be remodeled to form part of the newly expanded lobby.  This expanded section of the lobby will contain the TDOT “Trailhead”.

How exciting to see "the dream" coming to life!  It's hard to imagine all the wonderful things we all will receive from this new construction.

So, while you may not see any recent construction activity as you drive by on Roane Street, you can see plenty going on in the alley behind the Princess!

2011 - THE YEAR OF THE PRINCESS!

Whether you believe in "the dream" or not, as Muse Watson said in a promo shoot today at Channel 15 in Harriman, "Hold on to your bloomers, it's happening now!"

Muse is still in town on an extended holiday from Hollywood, and put his time and effort into his favorite project; the Princess Theatre!  Muse, with the assistance of Laura Armour (former "Heartland producer/writer), and Doug Mills (videographer for the "Heartland Series") turned out a number of promotional pieces that will be forthcoming between Channel 15 programming.

Several short spots can already be seen mixed in with the station's programming today.  However, Muse's emphasis today was getting out the message the the Princess Theatre, the City of Harriman/Roane State Channel 15 studio, and the future radio station will bring nothing but good things to the seven county area and the City of Harriman.

Check out the additional console equipment that Bill Radice has installed at the studio.  It's all so overwhelming and way above my head!  Today's technology has quickly surpassed anything I encountered in my computing and communications career at Oak Ridge.  I suppose that's why every now and then you have to run in some fresh young minds!

However, Bill Radice has kept up with the changing times and engineered a "state-of-the-art" television studio.  His career as a Grammy winning sound engineer in New York is serving us well here in Roane County.  This project has been blessed by talent willing to go that step beyond to get our "dream" up and running.

Outside, and inside as well, construction continues on the Princess Theatre.  Scaffolding now stands tall inside and outside the building.  

The inside is becoming more and more white and clean, and the new stage is being poured this week!  The stage is much wider and deeper than the previous one, making lots of room for stage plays, concerts, and your social and business events!

Outside, workers are starting the facade and I can hardly wait to see what it will end up looking like!  What colors will be used, and what new modern equipment and lighting will adorn the Princess' face?!  And, what will the new marquee be like?!

So, get on board folks...it's going to...no, it's happening right now, and you need to be a part, a big part, of making the "dream" come true!  Remember, 2011 is the year of the Princess!

SCAFFOLDING STANDS TALL IN THE PRINCESS AUDITORIUM

Work inside the Princess has begun in earnest after the receipt of the approval of the state fire marshal.  Scaffolding reaches the ceiling of the auditorium and workmen are busy plastering the walls.  The skeletal like framework allows workers to reach every lofting region of the huge building.

A rented construction heater system (right in the top photo) is now keeping the Princess a constant 70 degrees and aids the further removal of moisture.  From the holes in the old roof, rain poured inside for years, so there  was/is quite a lot of drying needed.

It won't be long before sealing paint is added and then the brilliant colors of yesteryear will adorn the walls of the Princess.  She's coming back to life folks!

The other exciting event in the story of the "Princess Complex" completion is the opening of Channel 15 next door.  It is hoped the station equipment will be moved by the first of this week and operation will begin there.  The facility has just been waiting on heat and air and the security fire alarm system.  The security system is functional and the heat and air are just days away from completion.

First up will be Muse Watson's "A Christmas Snow" movie!  Just in time for the holidays.  Stay in touch to get the latest on Channel 15...right here!

Muse Watson and Bill Landry Tell the Truth About the Princess Project

Thursday evening, a small group of Knox Heritage and Oliver Springs Historical Society folks met in the future “Channel 15” studio, which is the building to the left of the Princess on Roane Street.  The lighting and the air has yet to be installed, but it was pleasant enough with cold drinks, and fruit and cookies to eat.  The group came to hear more about “the dream” that Muse Watson and Gary Baker have held for over 10 years.

Muse and Bill Landry gave inspiring descriptions of how “the dream” came about, and what the TV studio and the Princess Theater would mean to our area.  I’ve been on board for a couple of years now, but I don’t think I have ever been as excited as those talks have made me! 

Other speakers were Ethiel Garlington, Director of Preservation Field Services for the Knox Heritage organization, and Frank Sparkman, of Sparkman & Associates.

Rather than trying to separate the main points by speaker, let me try and relate the jest of the inspiring speeches.

Muse and Gary had the idea of buying the Princess about the same time, however, in the beginning they were competitors.  Muse heard that a “Harriman Business Man” was also interested in buying the Princess.  Muse just knew that this “business man” was going to buy it first and “put in a parking lot”!  So Muse calls Gary and they realize they have the same dream, a dream to preserve the Princess and create a place that children could come and learn about “the arts”.  Not only could they learn about the arts, but come away with an educated experience that would serve them in careers in the arts.  After talking it over several times, they decided to join forces, and together they bought the Princess.  Later it was turned over to the City of Harriman, and is now awaiting to be turned over to Roane State Community College.

However, had it not been for Carmike Theaters allowing Cecil Johnson to lease the theater after they closed operations here, the Princess might have been lost to us today.  Some “business man” could have bought it long before Muse and Gary became interested and changed it into something that could never be restored to its movie house roots.

This is just one of the events that make some of us think that “the dream” was pre-destined.  That and things like certain volunteers coming to offer their expertise at just the right time, make us think a higher power is guiding the development of the dream.

The Princess Theater will be home to classic movies, reunions, gospel concerts, country and blue grass music shows and festivals, and stage productions.  Since Roane State will have two theatre stages, more plays will give more students experience in lighting, prop building, sound engineering, TV and video camera and editing equipment, and, of course, the art of acting.  Remember too, that whatever happens on the Princess stage can be broadcast out on Comcast’s broadband network to numerous counties in East Tennessee, or even picked up from the fiber and uplinked to satellites that could take productions nationwide! 

The Channel 15 studio itself will have the latest in sound engineering and recording, video/sound editing, switching, CGI set generation, and video cameras.  It is conceivable that locally produced television programs could be uplinked to buyers like National Geographic, Discovery, and others.  This is exactly how shows like “Dirtiest Jobs”, “Pickers”, “Pawn Shop”, etc. get produced and sold to cable channels.  They originate in small studios by someone locally who also has a dream!  So, if we have a dreamer here, maybe you, then the connectivity that Channel 15 has through Comcast is waiting for them/you!

Roane State Community College will come to perpetually preserve our dream.  Once the restoration and the television facility or complete, ownership will be transferred to RSCC.  Through their educational funding, they will be able to add the new facilities to there funding care.  This will mean that the floors will be swept, the lights will burn, the water will run, and the heat and air will run.  The benefit to our children is that can come to Roane State and prepare themselves for the future by taking “Mass Communications” courses.  These credits will be transferable to other four-year institutions.  However, our students will have the added experience of actual hands-on television and theater productions work.

If you will double-click on the floor plan drawing photos, you can get a good idea of what the Princess layout will be upon completion.  These plans are not the final floor plans, but you can see generally what will happen during the restoration.  Originally the Princess boasted seating for 900, but with the enlargement of the stage area (which can be rolled back for dancing), and the fact that modern seating is larger today to accommodate our American appetites!  There are also codes that have to be met that didn’t exist originally.

You will note a “green” area, generally the lobby areas.  This is what the TDOT “Trailhead” money, ($300K) is funding.  The TVA funding ($1.7M) will restore the areas in blue and orange (or yellow).  Half of the area on the right side of the first floor plan is to be built onto the side of the existing Princess building.  This area is to provide a prop building and storage area, and dressing rooms for stage productions.  The front half of the right side is the existing building on the right side of the Princess.  This area will be opened to make the lobby area larger, and to provide more restroom facilities.  Note…the elevator!  That’s good for old people like me!

By the way, you all need to put October 16th on your calendars and plan on attending the 2010 October Sky Fall Festival in Oliver Springs!  Check out their link HERE!

EVERY DAY IS ONE DAY CLOSER

I visited our Princess today and was amazed at how much the restoration crew has cleaned up since my last visit.  Yes, it’s still quite dirty inside, but at least the floor is now dry and you can even see some color through the dust.  I remember how the Princess looked back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, but if I understand the plans, the Princess will look even better than that period.

The roof, as I’ve posted, is on tight and there should be no more rain coming down inside.  The men were tapping chalk lines on the dry auditorium floor when I walked in today.  I don’t know what the line is for, but possibly it’s the line to which the stage will be extended.

I missed seeing them remove the old “silver screen” by a couple of hours, but now the old stage has been completely revealed.  I think the plans call for extending the old stage out quite a distance, so that there is adequate room for plays and stage shows.  I can hardly wait to see some theatrical or musical production on the new stage.  It’s almost too exciting for me to image…it’s like waiting for Christmas as a young boy!

Clearly, there is a lot of work yet to be done, but believe me, the first time I visited the interior of the Princess about 2 years ago, I would not have believed anything could be done to dress her up for company!  Now, seeing the floor dry, and some of the old color peeping through, it is more than promising!

Along the walls of the theater, either in the lobby, in the auditorium, or even up in the mezzanine level, you can see some of the many old colors the Princess wore in her day.  I don’t know which of these colors will be duplicated for the grand opening, but regardless she’s going to be beautiful!

Would it not be great to have a properly lighted digital photo of all the grand color schemes from all her eras?  I think that’s one reason I feel my documentation is so important.  You and I will take it all for granted, after a time, but someday someone will want to look back at the color scheme the Princess débuted in 2011!  The historical record we make over the course of this restoration will possibly be more important to future generations.  Such a record of the past would be invaluable to Frank Sparkman today.

So, we can see progress on our dream.  Every day is a day closer to our Princess’ 85^th birthday party!

RAIN DELAYS COMPLETION OF THE PRINCESS ROOF BUT OTHER WORK GOES ON

The new roof of the Princess is about another week from being completed. The recent rains have set the schedule back a few days, but the work done by Davis’ Brothers Roofing thus far is topnotch! The Princess should be “in the dry” in short order.

However, planning and discussions with other vendors continues, rain or shine. This week Frank Sparkman, Bill Milburn, and Bill Landry met with the proposed marquee manufacturer. Once the façade and marquee are completed, everyone driving by will able to see some tangible progress, and be reminded of the ongoing restoration work hidden inside the Princess.

While others meet to plan the future reconstruction outside, workmen inside were hard at stripping out “the old” to prepare the way for “the new”. In the attached photo, a workman works atop a ladder while Doug Mills, known for his “Heartland Series” work, films his efforts. Sparkman’s crews are used to being the center of attention wherever they are at work on bringing the past back to life! They know they are doing special work on a place very special to the local people. Once finished, we’ll owe them a great debt of gratitude.

Of course, I was hard at work shooting “stills” of Doug shooting digital video! Hey, someone has to do it…and, I’m so proud it’s me!

I walked up on Phil Gibbons, Sparkman’s “construction manager - field representative”, as he was pouring over the restoration blueprints by the light of his flashlight. However, the flashlight was resting in his lap by the time I snapped the photo!

Also on hand Wednesday, Bill Landry and Bill Radice discussed the Channel 15 studio. Radice recently moved to Oakdale, picking Oakdale by doing Google searches for “great places in which to retire”. Bill Radice is a retired sound engineer from New York, who is going to be an invaluable resource for speculating equipment for the TV studio.

Things are coming to gather folks and I think we’ll all be proud of the final result of the restoration efforts in Harriman. We have good people on board, but we need your continued support and ideas.

If you didn’t receive the recent “test” distribution email from us, please send your email address to us. Frank Sparkman, Chris Mason, and others will be sending out updates to keep you informed of progress, and of upcoming events and celebrations!

Just click HERE and say hello to us!

SIGNS OF PROGRESS AT THE PRINCESS

That’s right; we are beginning to see positive signs of progress on the “Princess Performing Arts, Education, and Conference Center”! If you noticed this week, as you passed the “Princess Complex” area in Harriman, you should have noticed a “Wet Paint” sign in the doorway of the future home of Channel 15 in Roane County! Further inside, leaning against the right wall, you can always see a large florescent light burning. Both are sure signs of good things to come. Personally, I can’t pass there without looking for the light!

It won’t be long until men will be crawling all over the roof. Then you’ll know the restoration process has begun!

Keep your eyes on the Princess…she’ll be smiling back at us again soon!

UPON THE ROOF

I was wondering around the alley behind the Princess this week, thinking about the work that will soon begin. Upon this roof we should soon see men busily working on putting down a new 40-year roof. That will signal the start of the restoration work! However, the work inside cannot begin until a new roof is firmly in place.

Muse Watson and Gary Baker, among others, have been meeting with Frank Sparkman, and the finer points of the restoration blueprints have been worked out. A roofing contractor has been hired and the work should begin in short order.

On the TV station front, if you notice when you go through Harriman that the door to the future Channel 15 studio is frequently open and lights burn. Workmen are making progress on the inside of this facility. Bill Landry has been hard a work with those involved at Roane State on deciding what is needed and ordering equipment for the station. We are told that by next year Channel 15 will be connected to the new digital Comcast network. This connection will make our TV channel available far and wide (most importantly, Knoxville)…not just in Roane County. This is huge for the success of the station and the Princess Complex.

So, keep you eyes on the roof and watch for the work to begin.

To all those naysayers, you better get on board now ‘cause you’re about to see you were wrong! Besides, we’re going to need your help!

THE PRINCESS WILL BE PART OF AN ELITE GROUP OF RESTORED THEATERS

I've posted before about other restored theaters, and what we've learned from visiting them. Now we have discovered a success story that followed the pattern we hope will make the Princess Theater a center of entertainment for our area. It's the "Historic Liberty Theatre" in Eunice, Louisiana.

The Liberty Theatre has its beginnings way back in 1920 when local business men joined forces to erect the first brick theater in Eunice. Unfortunately, their plans fell on hard times, and the building stood as a shell until 1924 when new life was breathed into the dream of A. F. McGee. Sr. and J. Claude Keller.

The Liberty enjoyed great success over its entire existence, due, in part, to McGee and Keller's promotional expertise. That success remains to this day.

Eunice, under the direction of its’ Mayor, Curtis Joubert, purchased the theatre in 1986 and after restoration and renovation. Mayor Joubert created a program and made the theatre the home of the internationally acclaimed “Rendez-vous des Cajuns” Cajun Music Radio & TV Show. The first show was performed at the Liberty Theatre on July 11, 1987 with performances by Chuck Guillory, Papa Cairo and the Rhythm Boys, The Church Point Playboys and humorist Craig Soileau. Dr. Barry Ancelet was the Master of Ceremonies and has continued as the emcee for the Cajun Music Radio & TV Program every Saturday night at 6:00 PM since that first show on July 11, 1987.

The format of the show is based on the Louisiana Hayride, Prairie Home Companion series and the Grand Old Opry and features performances by bands and interviews by an emcee on the Cajun culture, origins of music and language. The first few rows of seats were removed to provide a dance floor in front of the original stage. It is truly, a unique and one-of-a-kind family experience. The “Rendez-vous des Cajuns” Cajun Music Radio & T.V. Show is held every Saturday night at the Liberty Theatre, starting at 6:00 pm and ending at 7:30 pm.

There are other events during the year, like the annual tributes to Hank Williams, Sr. every December/January, and the musical about his life once a year called "Lovesick Blues: An Evening with Hank Williams!" As you can see above, the house is packed!

We've been in contact with the Liberty Event Coordinator, Ginny Moody, and she has invited a group of us down to check out the theater, lessons learned, the town, and to eat some local Cajun food! She had me at Cajun food! Do I hear..."ROAD TRIP!"

It shouldn't be long now before you will notice workmen on the roof of the Princess. The roof is the first stage of the restoration and that will signal the start of the fruition of the dream!

The plan for the Princess Theater is to also host "live" shows in the main auditorium and they will be aired on Roane State managed and operated Channel 15 through Comcast, and out over their radio station. The hope is that we will have groups that will make the Princess their home base, with bookings of various other traveling groups.

Having an auditorium and an associated radio and TV station is quite unique for restored theaters. The Princess will join the elite ranks of those like the Liberty Theatre that does! What a wonderful thing that will be for all of us.

I was asked again just the other day, "When will the Princess start showing movies again?" The answer again is...she won't! She will be a stage play and music venue theater folks. Oh, there may occasionally be a locally produced and shot movie, but it will never be a commercial Hollywood movie theater again. Believe me...you'll be glad of that to!

Never again will you hear, "There's nothing to do in Roane County." There will be plenty to do and see!

If we (Gary, Chris, Dr. Ahler, and more) make the trip, I'll post photos of everything we see AND EAT!

"SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN"*

"What? What is going to happen?"

"Something wonderful."

*The character Dave Bowman, in the movie "2010", speaking to Dr. Heywood Floyd and telling him of "something wonderful" that's about to happen. Isn’t it the same with spring each year…something wonderful does happen!

That's kind of the way I felt last weekend. So many wonderful things were going on in and around Harriman, that I had a sense, and I think those around me had similar feelings, that "something wonderful" was about to happen. Something so unique and so good for us all that you could almost feel it in the air.

Spring seemed to break last week, and my wife and I enjoyed a part of the "Dogwood" trail in the Fountain City area. Everything was new, fresh, green, colorful, and alive! It made us feel new and alive too!

Back in Harriman Saturday we took in the "Cruisin' in Harriman" (2^nd Saturday each month), the first one of the 2010 season. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood and all the cars were freshly washed and waxed. People milled about Roane Street once again and passed hopefully under the Princess marquee. Like me, they wondered about what the future would bring – about the new spring season and about the Princess.

Having been to 2 or 3 "Cruisin's" previously, I was shocked to see that 90% of the cars present last Saturday were new to me. I had no idea there were that many classic and hot rod enthusiast in the area. Therefore, you cannot say "if you seen one, you've seen'em all!"! There will always be something new and unique to see.

Down at Roane State, Bill Landry finished his 3rd performance as Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird", and then celebrated his 60th birthday with his wife Becky, the cast, crew, and the audience. He too seemed excited about the good things happening around him, and about the kindness of Roane County folks to stick around after the play to wish him “Happy Birthday”!

What is it? What is going to happen? Well, I don't know officially, but I do know that the TVA money has been received, and that the contract with Frank Sparkman has been “gone over with a fine-toothed comb”. So, it could only mean that our Princess should soon be receiving a brand new spring bonnet, and then soon after she will be redressed in a brand new fresh dress. Her dress should resemble her original frock, but underneath it will be supported by the latest in modern fire protection and technology. She will once again be ready to entertain us with live shows and events!

No, she will not be ready by the previously promised fall 2010, but will probably be ready about three months later than first thought.

I don't know about you, but as long as I know spring is coming, and I can see its first hints, I can wait for it! Just knowing our Princess will actually be restored is enough for me...I know it will happen! I know something wonderful is about to come true!

SUPPORTING THE LOCAL SPIRIT BY DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY!

Remember when we all used to hang out around the American Legion Hall in Harriman on Friday nights? Of course I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I did occasionally try to impress someone by “cuttin’ a rug”, but mostly I stood outside listening to the music while talking and smoking with “the guys”!

Good music and dancing still happens on Friday nights at the Harriman American Legion Hall. As a matter of fact, some of the same old gang that used to make all that music are still “pickin’ and grinnin’” as the “Riverfront Band”! It begins at 7:00 PM.

Remember ol’ Bill and Bobby Wright (no relation), Jim Galyon, Jim Crawley, and Gary Morgan? They are still making good music! Other local musicians also occasionally join them; you never really know who will be there, and YOU could join them if you really wanted to! Why not…let’s bring back the fun of Friday nights with music, singing, and dancing!

Pictured on the left are Jim Galyon, Noel White, David Galyon (Jim’s son from Houston), Jim Crawley (on steel), Don Gullett (on bass), and Forrest Robbins (on drums). The young man in the white cap is not a band member.

In the photo below right, (right to left) are Jim Galyon, Noel White, Muse Watson, Bill Wright (back to camera), Don Gullett, Ronnie Duncan, and Bobby Nelson.

It was that good music and that down home gathering of people that drew Muse Watson to the Legion Hall that last Friday back in November. He had heard about how Roane County folks still get together for some country music fellowship, and he wanted to get right in the middle of it. He, like a lot of us, feel like supporting whatever goes on in our area is the best way to keep our county alive. We have to keep that spark that makes us unique burning for the future generations.

On the left is Bill Wright with Bobby Wright (no relation).

Just imagine how it could be if Harriman had a real stage, with real lights, and a real sound system! What a night we all could have in the kinship of music and entertainment. That is exactly what is in the near future for our city and county. It will be a “sound space”, as Muse calls it, where anyone can come and record for posterity their own particular brand of music, or entertain a crowded auditorium of over 800 seats!

Our county and geographical area is just full of talent with no place to really perform at their best, or to such a large audience. The Princess Theater can be that for all of us. This is just another reason to support this effort. We need YOU to get involved, even if it’s only telling someone else about the dream! It can come true…we can do this!

Contact me at fuzzbert_1999 AT YAHOO if you want to offer your talent/s to the project, or know of area residents that have a musical or acting talent that would be perfect/appropriate for a family stage show.

“ARTS IN MOTION” DANCE STUDIO WILL BENEFIT FROM THE PRINCESS RESTORATION

The good times for me this holiday began on Tuesday evening when I attended a strategy meeting with Gary Baker, Bill Landry, and Muse Watson (as outlined in the previous post). Muse was visiting his mom and sister, who live in the area, but he took some time to help out on some Princess Theater and Temperance Building promotional material. He also visited some of the area events while in town (more on that later).

After some interview shooting (Bill on Muse and Muse on Bill), Doug Mills shot some video footage at the “Arts in Motion” dance studio in nearby Kingston, Tennessee, owned and operated by Jennifer Austin. Jennifer is currently rehearsing this year’s “The Nutcracker” production, which is the largest in the state of Tennessee. The show has over 100 performers and dancers. This year’s show will be at the Roane State Auditorium; December 4^th and 5^th, 7 pm, and December 6^th at 2 pm.

The studio was packed with dancers and their families, leaving only room on the dance floor for real movement. Jennifer oversees the program, but leaves the floor direction to Lilia Valieva, formerly from Russia, but now lives in Crossville. Lilia has been in ballet for many years: Lilia graduated from the world-renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she trained for 8 years. She then joined the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Bashkortostan in Ufa, quickly becoming a principle dancer. In 1996, she made her United States debut with a leading role in Giselle with the Greeneville Ballet in South Carolina, and continued to dance as a principle dancer for two more years. Her principle roles include Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Pas de Quatre, Coppellia, Don Quixote, and many others.

Lilia, the “ballet mistress”, ran the program from the top and Jennifer brought Muse around behind the dancers and waited for a break to introduce him. After an introduction, Muse politely critiqued the rehearsal, praising the performers, but offering firm instruction on what it means to be on stage and what an audience deserves from their personal performances.

All the time, Doug Mills was filming the dancers and their mentors. Segments of his captures will be seen in future video shorts on upcoming Princess Productions stage shows.

The proposed plans for the restoration and upgrade of the Princess Theatre will include a much larger stage, one that stretches the entire width of the Princess Auditorium. There will an increase in back stage area, professional lighting and sound, as well as large “green rooms” off stage. Jennifer looks forward to the day her productions can be expanded to fit the Princess stage. She may even expand her class offerings to include the Princess facilities.

Roane County should stop and think about what Jennifer Austin, and her studio, means to our children. Think about what a venue such as a beautifully restored Princess will mean to her, her students, and to us!

I’ll tell you about the rest of this week’s excitement soon…