Culture Club – Peninsula Arts & Humanities Alliance

As the dog days of summer approach the Door Community Auditorium (DCA) heaves a sigh of relief. I can almost feel the building expand with an exhalation of deep breathing. For the past two months DCA has endured the dust of construction as Gibraltar Schools parking lot has been chewed up and spit out. Unfortunately, the film of dust and dirt that hovered over the DCA gave the impression of “closed for business” during this important time of the year for any and all of the performing arts in Door County.

Now for the good news…the project is completed! Through it all our staff and volunteers kept a sense of humor about the situation. And although our season was on the light side the months of June and July, we are excited about the balance of our schedule of performances, a bit of something for every musical taste. And we are truly grateful to all of our dedicated patrons for sticking it out.

It wasn’t that we didn’t anticipate the challenges of parking for our shows during the construction, but projects such as repaving an entire parking lot almost always go on and on and on…or at least that’s the way it felt. But that being said, we are pleased with the final product.

To fill in the story line for our visitors, seasonal and occasional, the parking lot project was part of a $4 million school renovation that includes everything from new security systems to expansion of the band rooms. And that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Gibraltar Schools has been in existence for eons and was really in need of an overhaul. In the scheme of things, the parking lot was just part of the larger picture.

To be historically accurate, I tried to research the early years of Gibraltar Schools and came up with the bare facts. Ephraim native Eunice Rutherford recalls that when she joined the Gibraltar School staff in 1963 as a kindergarten teacher small community schools still existed, each with their own school board.

According to Ed and Lois Schreiber’s book Fish Creek Voices the high school was in existence in the 1920s. After eighth grade, the peninsula’s students, those who continued their education, attended the four-room Gibraltar High School. Students from Baileys Harbor and Egg Harbor actually boarded out in Fish Creek to attend high school.

With that said, one might wonder how a small community and school, such as Door County and Gibraltar, acquired a performing arts auditorium the caliber of DCA. The answer is simple really: dedicated individuals who have a vision and are committed to making dreams come true. Enter Ann Haberland Emerson, along with Peter Trenchard, George Larsen, and Marian Hislop, to name just a few “friends,” whose idea was soon to become reality.

“The Auditorium would provide Gibraltar students grades K – 12 a space for plays, concerts, forensics, guest lectures, films, graduations,” Emerson wrote in an article as the day of groundbreaking approached. At the time, student activities were held in the school’s gymnasium. The auditorium was to be a year-round venue for the community, a “vital part of the lives of Door County residents and visitors.”

Over 1,200 individuals, businesses, organizations, and foundations showed their support by contributing $2.7 million during the two-year fund raising campaign. Charting the campaign’s progress, a “thermometer” on the grounds of Gibraltar High School marked the progress of fund raising efforts.

In addition to serving the students, DCA provides a suitable home for Peninsula Music Festival, currently presenting its 56th season of symphonic concerts. The festival performed in the Gibraltar School gymnasium for 38 years before moving into the auditorium where the acoustics are state-of-the-art.

The DCA 1991 Inaugural Season brochure announced performances by The Nylons, pianist Liz Story, Pamiro Opera Company, The Kingston Trio, jazz violinist Randy Sabien, zany Bob Berky, tap with Rhythm In Shoes, and The Children’s Theatre Company presenting “The Canterville Ghost.”

In the past 18 seasons, DCA has continued to expand upon that first year with programming that includes coffeehouse concerts, lectures, family-friendly shows, holiday-themed performances, and a host of top name talent. But the essence of who we are and what we do remains the same: serving the community and our visitors as a center to enrich, entertain, and challenge.

So in the big picture, repaving our parking lot was really a small thing. And the reality is that it will be a huge improvement for our patrons. But of a larger concern is the safety of our children. The reconfigured parking area includes a large paved area where the students can hop on their buses for a ride home.

Driving into the parking area is now a one-way path. Parents picking up their children have a designated drive-through that does not conflict with the buses. And although these safety measures were at the sacrifice of a few parking spaces, it couldn’t have been for a better reason than our children’s well-being.

So to steal Ed Sullivan’s Sunday night opening line, the Door Community Auditorium has some really big shows lined up for the balance of our season. And the parking is mighty fine…