We're so pleased to report that the Town of Hyde Park recently received a $3,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Spark Connecting Community grant program. The grant will help further The Gihon Valley Hall Committee’s mission of renovating the former Grange Hall and revitalizing the North Hyde Park Community by making the hall a vibrant and useful community events space.
“While the COVID crisis has put a damper on holding live performances at the hall, we’ve been working to make the best of this pause to upgrade the facility so that we can come back better than ever when the time is right,” says Liz Courtney, committee secretary and events coordinator.
The $3,000 grant will be used to install a modern system of stage lights for the building’s stage which features an historic hand-painted curtain from the early 1900’s. The Hyde Park Opera House, also in the process of upgrading its lighting system, has offered to donate a set of lights to the Gihon Valley Hall as part of this project.
The Spark Connecting Community grant program puts building and nurturing community front and center. The Foundation aims to support the work happening throughout Vermont’s 251 towns that builds social capital. These grants—where a small amount can make a big difference—are intended to light the spark that keeps Vermonters healthy and happy.