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In 118 years of providing entertainment to the Keweenaw Peninsula, it’s hard to say just how many people have walked through the doors of the Calumet Theater. Hundreds of thousands for certain, perhaps that number is more than a million, no one knows for sure. What is for sure is that every one of them have walked to their seats whether it was on the first floor or the 2nd balcony. That changed recently after three years of fundraising generated enough money to complete the “Lift Us Up” project.
“We started our fundraising in 2013 with our annual gala. We were told that we needed $300,000 to reach our goal to install an elevator and move bathrooms around and all that good stuff. We reached our goal in July of 2016,” said theatre executive director Laura Miller.
Many of the funds were donated by generous supporters, along with several ongoing efforts.
“We had all kinds of donors that helped out. We had a Grand Raffle every year and part of that money went for that. We had an annual gala and we also had 50/50 ticket sales at almost every concert that we had.”
Although the idea was proposed nearly five years ago, much deliberation went into deciding exactly where to fit an elevator shaft before construction could begin. After consulting with engineers and architects, the location had been decided and contractors began their assignment of cutting away old material and retrofitting for the build.
Tuesday’s ribbon cutting ceremony officially marked the opening of the elevator for public use.
“The elevator brings people from the first floor up to the ballroom and there’s a ramp area that goes from the ballroom to the first balcony.”
The combination of the elevator and the ramp makes the both the ballroom and 1st balcony handicap accessible for the first time in the history of the venue.
Miller believes that the opening of the lift system will increase the popularity of the ballroom now that it is easier to access. She also says that the achievement would not have been possible without such strong community support.
“We are just so grateful that there were so many donors to help us reach our goal so quickly and get this project done.”
