For many years, we've talked about business ventures that would be a whole lot of fun, if we had boundless time, energy, and money to devote to them. We used to always talk about opening a restaurant, and for a while when we were in New Mexico, I gave it some serious thought. I'm glad I didn't do it, but it was real in my mind for a solid six months. More recently, it has come to our attention that there is no mid to large sized venue for rock concerts around here. Yes, there are theaters in Boulder, and bunches toward Denver, and points north. There's reportedly not much in the way of a dance hall, either. I don't dance, so I cannot confirm, but I have been to a rocking party upstairs in a historic opera house where there was a band and dance floor. I couldn't tell you how often they are open nor how many guests the space can hold.
For the last year we have been waxing poetic about how awesome it would be to run a concert hall here. There was an old granary-looking space for sale across from one of the breweries that the Mr said would be cool, even though it was on the small side. Since then, they finally (FINALLY) broke ground on the mixed-use complex that went where the old turkey processing plant once stood, right next to the train tracks. I don't know about you, but I think I would hate life if I had trains running all day and night on one side of my apartment, and a concert hall on the other. I'm sure there are other sites that would work for a honky-tonk sort of setup, but since all of this is really just a "what would I do" lottery fantasy, I haven't looked at anything seriously.
When I arrived at rotary today and found that the program was all about the local performing arts initiative to bring a concert hall/convention center/hotel to town, I was excited. We had a couple convention centers that have shut down recently (one next to the library I *thought* was just being renovated, but maybe not? and one that was way outdated and is being torn down). Now the symphony, ballet, chorale, et al, are playing at high school auditoriums to be able to seat enough people. They have four or five locations they're eyeing, and they are in the proposal/impact assessment stage for them. I don't know whether they've secured enough venture capital or government grants yet, but I've only had a half-hour presentation so far. I need to go to their website to get the full rundown. I asked the person I know who is deeply involved with the local ballet whether there is a social media presence, where I can keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities to do my part to make this a reality. She said only Facebook thus far, plus the website. Come on, friend. I'm more on Twitter. Get an account there too.
While watching the program, I couldn't help but think about that one location we had lottery-fantasized about for a concert venue. It wouldn't have worked at all, but there are other old industrial sites around town that have a similar aesthetic and vibe. There's one that came to mind, a decommissioned plant with silos and a smokestack and a great view of the mountains, that would be amazing for a hip, rustic, industrial, rock and roll hall. I don't know who owns it, and I am pretty sure the town historical society would hate to have it fiddled with. However, there is a 7+ acre plot just to the east of it that is up for sale. It's running a mere $4.5 million. That doesn't count the cost of constructing a venue/hotel/bar/cafe/parking lot though. Anyone know a venture capitalist who wants to bring a little culture and a whole lot of rock and roll to my home town? I'd be happy to spearhead a project.
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