Sound a step up for local performers

The large Legacy Stage at McPhelemy Park should prove a step up for locals used to the previous arrangement – an 8-by-10-foot concrete slab.

"We have been hosting concerts here through the town of Buena Vista for years. Last year and the 20 years before that, we were setting up 10x10's, little shelters every Thursday to have our music," said Earl Richmond, BV Rec's special projects manager. "We had a vision and so many amazing supporters from the town helped us hone in our vision. … The town supported us all the way through, but really it's the community and the contractors that make this stuff happen."

It was a team effort to make the ambitions of the new stage a reality.

Tom Rollings, who funded much of the project and has been involved with efforts for the stage for years, attributed their success to skilled community members.

"Sometimes serendipity is a wonderful thing. We happen to have one of the best sound technicians and sonar experts in the United States who lives right behind the stage, Jeff Jaska," he said. "When we were first wondering about the acoustics in such a setup, he came in and looked at what was there and he said that we were not gonna have as big a problem with the bathrooms.

"What was really going to cause problems was the awful slab underneath where we were gonna build the stage."

During their acoustic tests, Rollings tried clap tests, had motorcyclists rev their engines over the area, had people play instruments and even tested out performances to see how the sound would move.

"The sound bounced off that terrible pad that they used to use like a trampoline and it was all incorrect, acoustically," Rollings said. "We mitigated some of the sounds at the back of the stage, which originally wasn't designed to have a back on it, and the contractors put extra supports back here."

The stage also has wood paneling on the front and back to help soften external sounds, which Rollings said has improved the acoustics. The new stage also offers additional electrical outlets and an overall improved electrical system for performers.

"They used to have a lot of problems electrically with this whole setup, both through vendors and people who used to play here in the past. There was improper grounding, and so we got together with some professional sound techs and made a big deal out of making sure that they consulted with the town as to how to set this up," he said. "We got some musicians involved and talked about things that were there. We designed it so that there were different outlets going all across the stage, easier to plug in plenty of electricity."

The stage also features a large ceiling, protecting the stage and its performers from unexpected weather.

A few years ago, Rollings said, the tent set up cratered on the musicians who were playing.

"We decided that just wasn't good enough, because we have some wonderful musicians in this area. We just thought it was time to raise some funds to support some of the performing arts," he said. "I can appreciate some of these guys because as someone with no talent, you see these people in town performing for the community and you want to do something for them."

Getting the stage up to a higher standard meant "chasing all kinds of ghosts for years," Rollings said. "People no longer have to play on subterranean slabs with puddles."

Rollings was also blown away by the care put in by the contractors they worked with. John Burt and Becky Encizo of Ark Valley Welding, he said, went "above and beyond specs," including welding the whole of the stage by hand and putting in large cedar planks.

"John and Becky did some things to this stage that are simply not done anywhere," Rollings said. "I had one young man who's a welder that has worked in Denver on the highrises, an expert in welding. He came and took me by the arm and he said, ‘I’ll show you something.’ The entire stage is hand-welded. Every single weld is done by hand, and they put two extra supports that didn't need to be there. … They just did it because it was a labor of love. All kinds of people did stuff like that. It was a very humbling, wonderful experience."

Bill Kelly, the guitarist for local duo Mountain Mantra, broke in the new stage as the first performer after the ribbon cutting.

He had been part of the stage project for a long time, he said, and was excited to see the finished product.

"It's just wonderful. It's more than I even expected. I pushed for a bigger and bigger stage in the committee," Kelly said. "The big thing that nobody knows is that it has to be elevated. A stage has to be elevated. That way, you can see everyone could see who's on there and no one's covering them up. It just turned out wonderful. I couldn't ask for a better stage."

Kelly feels strongly that Legacy Stage is one of the best performing spots in town, having performed at other local venues like Turner Farm. The size of the stage, he said, means they can feature larger groups and acts, too.

"This is three times the size, probably, of the Lariat," Kelly said. "The Lariat gets big acts with eight people on stage, so imagine what we could put on here. You could put a whole Army Band on there, probably."

He also appreciates the ongoing effort from the town to not only finish the stage but make it work for performers.

"Working with Heather (Rupska) and Earl and Tom was just wonderful, because Tom had the money, and he kept pushing to get it done. We did this in a year and a half. To build something on (town) property in a year and a half has got to be some kind of record," he said.

"We didn't have to raise all the money before we started, because Tom basically guaranteed he’d cover the rest, and that made everything go really fast," Kelly said. "Earl represented the (town), and he had to coordinate with the (town), but he was our main contact and another great guy to work with.

"Last year, we had a little cement slab that was 8-by-10," Kelly said. "Look at what we have now."

Those involved in the project trust Legacy Stage will live up to its name and serve the community as a gathering space, performance venue and center of celebrations long into the future.

"I’ll guarantee it's gonna last forever," Rollings said. "Barring a nuclear blast or something like that, we’re in good shape."

Countless hours of work and nearly a decade of community effort later, the Legacy Stage in McPhelemy Park opened for a crowd of ecstatic locals June 3.

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