Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 4, 1951.
3-Man Board To Operate Opera House
By ENG ZIMMERMAN, Sr.
A three-man board will be invested with the authority to operate the county-owned Memorial Opera House, memorial to veterans of the War of the Rebellion, and long the storm center of fractional fights among various organizations.
This plan was announced by the board of county commissioners Wednesday at the group’s concluding session of its January meeting.
The commissioners’ decision followed recommendations made early in December by special committees of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce and Porter County Farm Bureau which spent much time in investigating the matter.
Only one man was named to the board by the commissioners at yesterday’s session. He is Edward F. Sebens, of RFD. 2, Valparaiso. Sebens operates a farm in Porter township.
The commissioners sought James Patrick, secretary-manager of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, to act as a member and fill the office of custodian, but he was unable to take the post because of press of chamber business. The custodian would be in charge of all funds received. He would account to the county commissioners. His salary could not exceed $25 per annum.
To Name Two More
The other two members are expected to be named within the next week. Their names will be made public when the commissioners hold a joint meeting with the county fair board at the office of County Agent M.A. Nye on Wednesday night, Jan. 10, to discuss 1951 fair plans.
In announcing its decision to turn control of the building over to a three-man board, the commissioners liberalized the recommendations submitted by the chamber-farm bureau committees.
The commissioners approved the committee’s suggestions that the building be kept as a memorial to the veterans of the War of the Rebellion, and that it be made available to a reputable non-subversive Porter county organization, association, group or individual for the purpose of holding meetings, gatherings, patriotic celebrations and home talent performances, school functions, symphonies, community concerts lectures, debates and uses of like kind. No meeting, however, will be permitted that is not in the best interests of the county, state and nation.
The hall will not be allowed for use in competition with other industries, though the commissioners said they felt that organizations desiring to bring in outside entertainment should not be barred.
While the new board will be authorized to deny use of the building where they deem the venture not justifiable it cannot deny the people of Porter county the right to use Memorial hall, the commissioners ruled.
Members of the joint committee which submitted the recommendations for the new setup were Paul Carmichael, Tom Womacks, James Patrick, Gale Corley, Vernon Dinse, Alva Jones and Walter Sievers.
The opera house which has been under lease to the Shauer interests for a number of years, is now ready to be taken over by the new board, the Shauer lease having expired Jan. 1.
Recently the county replaced the old heating apparatus in the building with a new one at a cost of around $2,000.
The new board when it takes over will be faced with the problem of no funds. Last fall a $1,500 appropriation for 1951 was eliminated by the county council when it was pointed out that as long as it was not known whether the building would be used an appropriation was unnecessary.
