It’s been there all along. The door hiding in plain sight. I’ve been part of the Holland Theatre community since I tried out for Our Town in April 2013, a month before I moved to Bellefontaine. And yet in all the shows and performances and auditions I’ve watched or participated in since, I never went upstairs or found out how to get there.

Over that time, though, I did see an amazing transformation to this impressive landmark in Logan County. A beautiful venue to begin with, it now shines even brighter thanks to years of renovations—from the much-improved dressing rooms in the basement to the starscape covering the vaulted ceiling over the auditorium to, most recently, the new marquee and blade gracing the front of the building.

But there’s still work to do—hundreds of square feet on the second floor needs the same tender, loving care as the rest of the structure.

With that in mind, the Holland Theatre is hosts the Art Upstairs Gala on Friday, July 10, to work toward gathering the funding needed for the project.

According to Lance Schmidt, executive director, the evening will start outside at 6 p.m. with live art, food trucks and tours of the second floor, which is accessed through that door I never noticed before to the left of the main entrance.

Live entertainment includes John Whitehead and Pete Moss, and refreshments will feature Mama D’s Soda Shoppe and DORA drinks, along with a free taco/nacho bar from the Flying Pepper Cantina.

Then, at 7:30 p.m., the event will move to the auditorium for a big band concert with the Fountainaires. That will be followed by a live auction by Mick Lile and more music.

A free ticket is required for the auction/concert portion of the evening.

“We have $100,000 so far thanks to the state,” Schmidt said. “We’ll celebrate that.” But he stated there’s a matching grant they’ll be working toward at the gala.

The first part of the three-phase project will be the most extensive, costing $450,000 for demolition, remediation, plumbing, electric, removing the asbestos flooring and duct work. But, Schmidt promised, “it will get easier after that.”