Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors ~ Sterling

Once again I took a photo of the historic Sterling Opera House in Derby, Ct. I love this building!

Last month I posted a photo of the cupola of the stately structure for Whimsical Windows, but this is the first time I've taken a photo from behind  the opera house.
The building was constructed in 1889, and the cupola was replaced in February, 2011.
I had a medical appointment the morning that the cupola was raised up onto the building and missed the ceremony and the photo op!

A Whimsical Windows post I wrote on the opera house in July can be read here.

Join in the fun and see other interesting architectural details from around the globe at Toby's I Wish I Were a Photographer blog.

Whimsical windows, delirious doors

Antique and sleek meet

This is the cupola of the stately Sterling Opera House in Derby, Ct. contrasted with the roof lines of a modern shopping plaza in the foreground.

Here's one of the windows in the vacant opera house as seen from the interior.

See lots of interesting architectural details at Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors, a fun meme hosted by Toby.

~ Whimsical Windows ~

Do you recognize these famous people from days gone by?


From left we have the great illusionist Harry Houdini, aviatrix Amelia Earhart and Italian tenor Enrico Caruso.


All three are among the many celebrities who graced the stage of the historic Sterling Opera House in Derby, Ct. Their images are now in the windows of the former theater.



Members of the Valley Arts Council created the paintings for a portrait project featuring 12 celebrities, ranging from Bob Hope and Bing Crosby to George Burns and Gracie Allen.

They are a talented bunch! I wish I could paint like they do. All I can offer is a blog to promote their work and the art council's events.



See lots more interesting windows and doors at Toby's I Wish I Were A Photographer blog.

 

Balloons, crowds, and general silliness

As I mentioned here yesterday, I spent Saturday at the 14th annual Derby Day.

I had never been at a venue an hour before a festival started, so it was interesting to see the vendors hurriedly getting ready for their day, that feeling of anticipation in the air. (I'm easily amused I suppose).
At that point the skies were overcast and I thought that rain was on the way. Fortunately that wasn't the case. It turned out to be a lovely, sunshiny day.

I thought there was a good turnout, but I'll have to find out this week from the organizers what they thought about the how the day went.

Above you see the stately Sterling Opera House standing in the center of all the activity.
It's the same historic (and haunted?) 19th-century building that was investigated a few months ago by SyFy's "Ghost Hunters" team led by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson.
People were lined up throughout the day to get a chance for a free tour. It generated a lot of interest. I love that building.

These two wine bottles that Valley Arts Council member Billiejo of Prospect, Ct. transformed into incense holders were on display at the council's booth. Eye-catching!

So after helping at the booth a good part of the day I started to get tired, and by late afternoon I got out the camera to pass the time. These photos are what I call my balloon series:



Silly enough for you? There were more pix but I decided that was enough of that!

There also was a Mustang convertible being raffled off..here are Allegra and Ralph checking it out.

I think our daughter would like a vehicle like that. She sure looks comfortable in it. ;-)

Mark your calendars

Today I'm taking a break from talking about medical issues to share some exciting news: the air date for the SyFy channel's "Ghost Hunters" episode featuring the Sterling Opera House in Derby, Ct. is 9 p.m. April 20.

Yippee!

I for one cannot wait to see what the paranormal investigators may have found in the historic (and haunted?) opera house. I blogged about the show's visit here.

I was one of five" witnesses" interviewed for the show (see photo from taping below), but my brief part may have ended up on the cutting room floor.

Nevertheless it will be exciting.

More to come ...

Shadow Shot Sunday ~ TV edition

Yup, that's me. On TV!

Well, actually being taped for an upcoming "Ghost Hunters" program on the SyFy Channel. I may be on TV. I don't normally blow my own horn, but this was kinda out of the ordinary.

The co-stars (lead investigators) of "Ghost Hunters" are Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, two guys from Rhode Island who founded TAPS, The Atlantic Paranormal Society, several years ago.

I was one of five people interviewed on camera last week about what kinds of paranormal activity I'd witnessed inside the historic (and dusty) Sterling Opera House in Derby. Ct.

I hope my "15 minutes of fame" don't end up on the cutting room floor.

The show is supposed to air in May.

I can't tell you what I saw on two separate visits to the 19th century structure. You'll just have to watch the show! When I find out the air date I will post it.

It was fun to see how the cast and crew work to produce an hourlong episode. Everyone was friendly, and the cast took the time to chat and pose for photos. They caused quite a stir!

Here are links to two stories I wrote on the TV show's visit: First story, and second one.

It was a fun week, that's for sure.

My daughter Allegra took my photo at the taping. Since it is filled with shadows I thought I would post it.

Boo!

Visit our awesome Aussie friend Tracy at Hey Harriet, who hosts this meme each week, and join in the shadowy fun.

* Bonus photo for TAPS fans! This is Grant Wilson posing in front of the Sterling Opera House minutes after he arrived in Derby, Ct. on Feb. 28. He is quite a friendly fellow. It was great to meet him.

A bit of history on a rainy Halloween night

(spooky bat art for Halloween created by artist Richard DiCarlo of Derby, Ct.)

Welcome to the Sterling Opera House

Is this historic building haunted?

Some are convinced that it is.

And that bit of information is all I needed to know last week when artist Rich DiCarlo, president of our local Valley Arts Council, invited me and a few others to step inside the Sterling Opera House in Derby, Ct. on Halloween.

I took him up on the offer, but not without first inviting blogging buddy Linda, Duchess of Norwich-Upon-Thames, who I knew would be interested in visiting this historic building, as well as in looking for ghosts.

She immediately was intrigued, and asked me to find out if she could bring along her friend, Amy. That was fine with the arts council prez.

Since Linda had never been to the area, we arranged a meeting at the Derby Train Station (below), which looks rather haunted here, don't you agree? The rain was coming down in buckets for a few minutes, so we waited in our cars for it to pass.

Here is another view (below) that I snapped through the windshield.

I like how this photo came out; I confess a bit of sepia-fying went into the final product.But back to the Sterling Opera House...seen in this picture in 1889, the year it was completed.

It stands majestically across from the old Derby Green, vacant since it was last used as City Hall in the 1960s. Renovations are in the works. Its ornate cupola is being repaired and is expected to be replaced in the spring.

(I just noticed that our Duchess Linda has written a comprehensive post about our experience...much longer and more detailed than this post will be, but I will forge ahead. )

The American flag in the above photo is hanging from a lamppost on the perimeter of the Green along Elizabeth Street, across from the opera house. The Second Congregational Church, and its long-vacant parsonage next door, can be seen in the background.

When Rich unlocked the side door, a musty odor greeted us as we entered the building.

Dark? Yes. We all were armed with flashlights and extra batteries. And digital cameras. Duchess Linda had two with her. I had my trusty Canon point and shoot.

We entered the theater and our 2 1/2-hour journey began...walking amongst debris, dust, piles of wood, and more debris. Did I mention it was dusty?

Here is Duchess Linda walking past one of the walls...dilapidated place, isn't it?

Below is another view of the theater, right near the stage. See any orbs? No? That's because I cropped them out of this photo. We'll leave the orb story for another day. Stay tuned for that.

I'm off to work, to get official vote numbers from yesterday's local elections.