SHARON Vocal museum maps its future

The nonprofit group struggles with lack of support, but it will remain here.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & amp; Museum has no plans to move from the city.
Bob Crosby, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit foundation dedicated to honoring and preserving the music of the greatest vocal groups of the world, said the museum's focus remains in Sharon.
After all, it would be impossible to move the Columbia Theatre, he said.
Plus, plans for expansion can best be fulfilled in Sharon where buildings are available close to the hall's State Street properties and can be purchased at reasonable prices, he said.
That's not a scenario readily available in big cities, he said.
Crosby, frustrated by lack of public support for hall induction concerts held at Cafaro Field in Niles in 2002 and 2003, said in September that the concerts would probably have been sold out had they been held in Los Angeles.
"It makes me wonder if we're in the right city," he said at the time, suggesting that the public has some responsibility to support the hall of fame to keep it here.
He said last week that there are no plans to move the operation to a larger metro area, but there is still the possibility that future induction concerts, at least in the short term, might be moved to larger cities in an effort to boost ticket sales.
The concerts should be the hall's main fund-raisers right now, but they haven't generated enough revenue to pay for themselves, he said.
Restored theater
Eventually, the concerts will be moved into the 1,700-seat Columbia Theatre on West State Street, once it is renovated to the point that it can be opened to the public, Crosby said.
The foundation bought the vacant theater in 2002, and a total renovation will run into the millions of dollars, a project that will take years, he said. The plan is to put enough work into the building to open for fund-raising concerts and other events that will help pay for the restoration.
Crosby and Tony Butala, chairman and founder, see growth in the hall's future and believe that growth can be linked to the city's efforts to revitalize the downtown business district.
With the right support and promotion from the community and the state, and with a relatively small investment, the Columbia Theatre and a series of museum buildings can be in full operation within a relatively short period, attracting tourists from all over the world, they said.
Those tourists would help support development of service businesses in the downtown area, Crosby said.
Financial contributor
Although it has monetary problems -- it has about $240,000 in unpaid debt -- the foundation has been a financial contributor to the community, Crosby said.
Work done by a previous theater group toward restoring the Columbia, as well as money spent and services donated for the 2002 and 2003 induction concerts, total about $2.5 million.
Nearly $600,000 has been spent on the theater and about $450,000 has been spent on the concerts. Media products (CDs and DVDs) coming out of the concerts and the inducted artists have, conservatively, given about $1.5 million worth of free performances, Crosby said.
He hopes that some or all of those items can be counted as matching funds as the organization goes after government and private foundation grants to help finance current and expanding operations.
"We're at a very difficult time right now," Crosby said, stressing that the organization must use the assets it has (concerts, events and media products) to create revenue to keep the doors open.
Word about the Vocal Group Hall of Fame & amp; Museum is spreading as the 78 inducted artist groups talk about the facility when they travel and perform.
As evidence, Crosby cited recent orders for copies of the 2002 induction concert CD/DVD set that have come from as far away as Honolulu, San Diego and Great Britain.
An annual membership drive is being considered, and the organization's Web site offers an Internet store selling music, T-shirts and other merchandise.
A Sunday-evening radio show, "Live Form the Vocal Group Hall of Fame," featuring inducted artists serving as hosts, is in the planning stage and will draw attention to the hall and museum, Crosby said.
The number of inductees increases by about 12 groups per year, and there will be a need to add museum buildings to house memorabilia lent or given by those artists, he said.
The 30,000-square-foot Pop Music building at 98 E. State St. has only limited space left, and the Barbershop Building across the street is full.
The hall and museum, which opened in December 1997, is normally open to the public free of charge but is closed for the winter until Valentine's Day. Private parties and tours can still be arranged by calling the foundation office at (724) 983-2025.