Eric Goulden, chairman of the Astor Theatre Society, speaks to theatre supporters on Thursday. Karen Murphy, of the J&W Murphy Foundation, and Lynn Cochrane, vice-chair of the Astor board, look on. (Rick Conrad)

The board of the Astor Theatre on Thursday unveiled some details of a plan they hope will make the theatre the centre of arts and culture on the South Shore.

“We are definitely the envy of a lot of other theatres in Nova Scotia,” Astor Theatre Society chairman Eric Goulden said.

“And it is a very, very valuable treasure.”

The historic Liverpool theatre, which opened in 1902, recently received a $500,000 donation from the J&W Murphy Foundation. The five-year funding commitment will help with the Astor’s operational expenses, and help improve its marketing, promotion and fundraising efforts.

Board members invited the community on Thursday afternoon to learn more about the foundation’s support.

The contribution will help the Astor work on long-term projects to make the theatre sustainable. Three consultants will be hired to come up with fundraising and communications plans and oversee the process.

Heather White Brittain, the director of development with the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, will lead the Astor’s fundraising and sponsorship development efforts. That will include creating a fund development database that will help the Astor secure more sustainable donations from corporations and other foundations.

Cathy Neumiller, a communications and marketing professional based in Halifax, will help create a new marketing and communications plan for the theatre. That will include a newly designed website, a subtle rebranding and more community outreach.

“We don’t have the capacity in house to do this work,” said Lynn Cochrane, vice-chair of the Astor board. 

“(The employees) do miracles every day with what they have to work with. But the fund development and marketing communications side are specialist areas and require specialists to do them.”

Cochrane said a lot of the work for the first year will be behind the scenes. But lovers of the Astor should start seeing some changes by the end of this year.

Neumiller says she hopes to harness the enthusiasm of the Astor’s sizable and dedicated group of volunteers.

“It’s really about relationships,” she said in an interview.

“The ultimate with communications is striking up a relationship with someone and finding out what they’re passionate about. The goal is to find the people that are the most passionate and get them on board to help achieve the things that need to be done because there’s a lot.”

Jean Robinson-Dexter, a former executive director of the Astor and longtime chair of the Liverpool International Theatre Festival, will act as a project manager.

The president of Horizons Community Development Associates also helped Cochrane create the funding proposal to the Murphy foundation.

“I guess I’ll be a bit of a trouble-shooter and a bit of a historian about the organization and the kinds of things that the theatre does,” Robinson-Dexter said in an interview.

“I’ll be doing regular check-ins with the two wonderful consultants and sharing that back to the board, making sure we’re on track in terms of deliverables and timelines. It’s a great opportunity to be back and contributing to the Astor again.”

The Astor announced the “life-changing” contribution from the J&W Murphy Foundation in April. 

The foundation was established in 2008 by the late Janet and Dr. William Murphy, longtime Liverpool residents. Dr. Murphy co-founded the thriving Mersey Seafoods in 1964. 

It contributes to a wide variety of charitable causes, especially in Queens County.

The foundation’s Karen Murphy told QCCR on Thursday that they had many discussions with the Astor board about how to help.

“And our conclusion was that we could assist in some funding to take away some of the operational worries so the focus could be on future-proofing the facility,” she said.

“It’s often capital projects that get a lot of attention. But we found with especially small- and medium-sized organizations, operational funding is often forgotten. And sometimes that’s the key to all the other creativity-building that needs to happen.”

She said that she and her family have been longtime supporters of the Astor and were happy to help “take it to the next level”.

“When people find out I’m from Liverpool, they invariably mention the Astor. That tells you what a legacy is already in place. And it’s on all of us to keep adding to that and to keep building it up. This place has to be here for the next 100 years like it has been already.”

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Dave Schofield, president of the Kiwanis Club of Liverpool, Stacy Thorburn, principal of South Queens Middle School, and Ted Bulley of the Kiwanis Club at an announcement on Wednesday at the school. (Rick Conrad)

Sports teams at South Queens Middle School will be getting a new electronic scoreboard thanks to a donation from the Kiwanis Club of Liverpool.

The service organization donated $7,000 toward the $17,000 piece of equipment that will hang in the gymnasium at the Grade 6-8 school.

Principal Stacy Thorburn said the donation is “amazing”.

“To know that one of our organizations in Queens donated $7,000, it’s just unheard of. Even through our fundraising, as thankful as we are to everyone, we weren’t able to raise that much money, so a one-time donation of $7,000 is huge.”

Currently, a scoreboard is projected onto one of the walls of the gym. 

“Which is great when technology’s working, but it had its time,” Thorburn said. “And so we thought well, we don’t have a scoreboard and we have lots of community basketball coming in, we have sports teams from other schools coming in, so we thought that would be a priority for right now.”

Thorburn said the whole community pitched in. A youth in the community donated what he made from giving basketball lessons, Liverpool Regional High School donated proceeds from their annual alumni basketball tournament, the school itself held an online auction and the school’s advisory council contributed $2,000.

“We couldn’t have done it without the community and the parents from South Queens, which is amazing.”

Dave Schofield, president of the Kiwanis Club of Liverpool, said usually the club gives up to $1,000 for specific projects.

“Initially we were thinking a smaller amount. And one of our members said, we got extra money this year from running the canteen at Queens Place, let’s go all in on the scoreboard, so that’s what we did.

“You like to see everyone working together for a common goal.”

The school held a short ceremony on Wednesday morning to unveil the Kiwanis contribution. Students, staff and Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian were there, as well as Kiwanis Club members from Liverpool, Halifax and Kingston, Jamaica.

Pam Rodney-White is governor of the eastern Canada and Caribbean district for Kiwanis International.

As part of her duties, she’s touring Canada’s six districts. And she was in town on Wednesday visiting the Liverpool chapter.

She said the Liverpool chapter’s support for the scoreboard is an example of the kinds of contributions Kiwanis clubs make to help kids and communities.

“It’s fantastic. I really want to congratulate the Kiwanis Club of Liverpool for the donation of the scoreboard. I’m sure the students are going to be happy when they look up there and see that they are making some runs, not fouls.”

Thorburn says she hopes to have the scoreboard installed over the summer in time for when students return in the fall.

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The Astor Theatre is the oldest performing arts space in Nova Scotia. (File photo by Ed Halverson)

UPDATED APRIL 3, 3:15 P.M. 

The Astor Theatre in Liverpool has secured $500,000 in funding from the J&W Murphy Foundation.

The five-year commitment will give the Astor $100,000 each year to help beef up its programs and promotion.

Lynn Cochrane, vice-chair of the Astor Theatre Society, told QCCR that it’s a game changer for Nova Scotia’s oldest performing arts theatre.

“It is significant. It’s huge. This is the largest donation the theatre has ever received,” she said.

“We’re thrilled. It will be life-changing for the theatre.”

Cochrane said the board began discussions with the J&W Murphy Foundation about a year ago on a plan to make the Astor sustainable.

“So the Murphy foundation is giving us an opportunity to set ourselves up for future success.”

The J&W Murphy Foundation was established in 2008 by the late Janet and Dr. William Murphy, longtime Liverpool residents. Dr. Murphy co-founded the thriving Mersey Seafoods in 1964.

The foundation contributes to a wide variety of charitable causes, especially in Queens County.

Lisa Murphy, chair of the foundation, told QCCR that she views the donation as an investment in a cherished centrepiece of the community.

“The Astor has always meant a lot both to the town and to our family. Our mom was a huge supporter of the arts,” she said.

“If what we have done is perceived as a vote of confidence, then we’re also happy about that, because it’s intended to be. … We’re thrilled to be privileged enough to be able to extend this funding that can help settle some of the swirling concerns that an organization such as the Astor has struggled with over the years and to enable them to build on that to secure their future. I can’t think of Liverpool without the Astor. I cannot imagine the town without the Astor.”

Murphy says she hopes the foundation’s contribution will help the Astor secure funding from other donors, and to help the theatre cover operating expenses. But she says it’s up to the board to decide where it will do the most good.

“Our grant is specifically to say, free up your resources to think bigger.

“There’s no wishlist. We speak about a vote of confidence, we are saying that we’re trusting the leadership of this organization to make responsible decisions about what it wants to do with it. And they are in the best position to set the direction of the society. … That’s not for us to say.”

In the first year of the five-year commitment, Cochrane says the board will work on improving its fundraising, including creating a donor database. It will also create a cohesive marketing plan to help grow the Astor’s audience and its revenue.

That will include a new website. Cochrane says the board is in talks now with professionals in corporate fundraising and marketing and communications.

And they’ll work on getting the community more involved in their programming, asking people what kinds of shows they’d like to see.

The theatre’s board also plans to expand the Astor Academy in the second year of the funding, to bring in outside theatre professionals to give more training to youth and seniors. 

“The Astor, like all arts centres, operates on one-third of its revenues from (government) grants, the other third is from revenues actually generated from concerts, events, and the other third is from donations,” Cochrane said.

“We really want to shore up the donation side. We come to the end of the year and we tend to be hand to mouth.”

Cochrane said people will likely start to see the results of the Murphy family’s investment in the fall. 

“The board is thrilled. It’s a very generous donation at a time that the theatre is really going to have an opportunity to benefit from it, and hopefully make it live on for another 100 years.”

The Astor Theatre opened in 1902 and was originally known as the Liverpool Opera House. It hosted local and touring shows until silent films were introduced in 1917. Many Canadian and international artists have performed at the theatre over the years, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Rufus Wainwright, and even Mr. Dressup.

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Shelly Panczyk (centre) with representatives from Liverpool Superstore, food bank staff, Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and MLA Kim Masland. Photo Ed Halverson

A new walk-in freezer is helping the Queens County Food Bank provide better service to more people, more efficiently.

The 12’ x 12’ walk in freezer is the result of a $45,000 donation courtesy of Loblaws Canada.

Chair of the Queens County Food Bank Shelley Panczyk learned they would be receiving the funding in November of 2022.

The walk-in replaces chest freezers the food bank had been using and Panczyk says the ability to open a door and see where food is at a glance has been extremely helpful to volunteers.

“You’ve got your hamburger here and your hot dogs here and things on top of each other and we were always pulling and taking out and rearranging,” said Panczyk.

For two years before the new unit was installed, Panczyk says Mersey Seafood would store overflow frozen food for the bank.

She welcomes the increased capacity the new freezer provides as over the past three years food bank use has increased dramatically.

“And it’s not just single people. I have people in here that are, two people working. With the way the economy is, and the pricing, that have to come here because there’s no way that they could ever live.”

On average, the Queens County Food Bank provides for 160 families every month serving 450-500 people, 33 percent of those are children.

Panczyk says the support from the Superstore and Sobeys stores in Liverpool is invaluable.

She also appreciates all the generous food donations being dropped off at various locations.

While those are good, Panczyk says one of the best ways to support the food bank is through making a cash donation.

“Money donations are better because I’m always, always looking for sales. That’s part of my work,” said Panczyk. “Every Thursday I have to get the flyers from Superstore and Sobeys and I go through and what’s ever on sale that I use as a staple, I have to order. And we’re ordering cases.”

Panczyk says they can accept cash or cheque at the food bank or thrift store locations, by mail or people can e-transfer the funds.

Donors receive a receipt which can come in handy when looking for deductions at tax time.

Now that the walk-in freezer is installed and running, Panczyk says the Food Bank infrastructure is set for years to come and they can confidently focus on serving their clients.

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Milton Pool. Photo Ed Halverson

The committee charged with planning a new pool in Queens still has no direction on how to go about that task.

Formed at the request of Region of Queens council the pool committee was never given a formal Terms of Reference to indicate what they should be doing.

The committee wrote Terms of Reference based on those used for the library committee and presented them for approval at the last Region of Queens council meeting.

Mayor Darlene Norman says council voted not to approve the terms because the pool committee was told when it was created municipal staff did not have time to participate.

“When this committee was formed it was mid-way through our year,” said Norman. “This was never part of any budgeting and budgeting is more than just budgeting money, budgeting also budgets staff time.”

Some councillors felt a new pool should be given a higher priority after a private donor came forward with funding towards its construction.

It was revealed during the last council meeting that contribution was in the neighbourhood of $3 million.

CAO Chris McNeill said it will likely be spring of 2023 before staff will be freed up to assist the pool committee.

In the meantime, Mayor Norman says the committee has a great deal of expertise and experience to offer.

“I am optimistic that when we get these things ironed out that that committee can be very helpful in some research. If they want to find more money for extra add-ons, if they want to deal with the biggest problem, which is staffing,” said Norman. “That truly is our largest problem when it comes to pools is the staffing component.”

Norman hopes using the clearer direction from council, the pool committee will come back to a future meeting with terms of reference that will allow them to get underway without involving municipal staff.

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Astor Theatre, Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Photo Credit: Ed Halverson

Astor Theatre management was hoping for a better start to 2022.

The popular Liverpool theatre has been effectively closed since the province announced restrictions just before Christmas to limit the spread of the omicron variant.

General Manager Jean Robinson-Dexter says safety measures such as checking for vaccination, masking, and having ushers escort patrons directly to their seats encouraged a good turnout at many of the shows before they were shut down.

“People told us that they felt safe, they felt welcome and so we will just continue to do that once we’re able to welcome folks back here,” said Robinson-Dexter.

The province announced those restrictions have been extended until the end of January and Robinson-Dexter is still unsure what will happen after that.

She’s been reaching out to promoters and performers scheduled to play in February to decide if they will go ahead with their dates with the risk of more potential restrictions cancelling those shows as well.

“We’re just, kind of in wait and see, hoping that we can reopen and I’m not expecting that it’s going to be at full capacity for a while.”

Astor theatre interior. Photo Ed Halverson

Opening for 50 to 100 people is not economically viable for the theatre or performers according to Robinson-Dexter.

She hopes the community understands that leaves the theatre in a precarious position.

The Astor receives annual grants to help cover some of the operating costs and the federal and provincial governments have come forward with more money to help the theatre weather the pandemic.

But it takes funding from multiple sources, including fundraising and ticket sales to keep the Astor afloat.

Robinson-Dexter says the theatre has just wrapped its annual December donation campaign, but she hasn’t seen the totals yet.

She looks forward to reopening the Astor as soon pandemic conditions permit because the theatre is more to the community than entertainment.

“And it’s so important for people, both, I think, for social connection, to get folks out in the community, seeing friends again, and just for their mental health and well-being,” said Robinson-Dexter. “Music can fill you up.”

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LFD new ladder truck beside their rescue boat. Photo John Long

The Liverpool fire department now owns their ladder truck free and clear thanks to a donation by Mersey Seafoods and the J and W Murphy Foundation.

Volunteers at the station were surprised when opening mail this week to discover a cheque for $50,000 to go towards the purchase of another truck.

The department determined before Christmas they would need to replace their ladder truck.

Hydraulics that lift the ladder had failed and the department learned repairing the equipment was not only costly but there was no guarantee the repair would pass an inspection to return the engine to service.

Liverpool fire department approached the Region of Queens for help to buy a replacement. The municipality stepped up with a $46,000 interest-free loan.

Members located a ladder truck for sale in New Brunswick and took ownership it earlier this week.

Captain John Long says the department had been exploring several options to raise the money needed to buy the ladder truck.

“We had sent out some letters requesting some help,” said Long. “This came through and it’s huge. Not just the number but the impact it has on us is huge. And we can work towards replacing our boat.”

Replacing their 1994 rescue boat had been the fire department’s focus before the issues arose with the ladder truck.

Long says the boat is showing its age.

“The ring is not holding air. We can use it in an emergency but we can’t really do any training with it,” said Long.

The new boat will need to be outfitted for rescue operations. A T-top, rear bench, console, steering wheel and search lights will need to be fitted to the boat. A new modern, sonar system will be installed and other safety equipment will be updated as well.

All told, Long says they need to raise $56,000 to turn out the new boat.

He says any money donated by individuals and businesses in the community towards replacing the ladder truck will be applied to the purchase of the boat.

Longs says thanks to the generous donation from Mersey Seafoods and the J and W Murphy Foundation the loan to the municipality has been repaid in full and the rest will go into the boat fund.

Information on how to donate to the Liverpool Fire Department is on their website: Liverpoolfirefighters.com.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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