Cold Lake Entertainment Society meeting to map out future

The Cold Lake Arts and Entertainment Society will be meeting early this month to discuss how they plan to continue being an active presence within the city.

“Because we couldn’t do any fundraising we had to close the theatre,” said Teresa Pettit, a writer and director for the Society. “But the Society still exists, it’s trying to just trying to survive right now.”

Members of the Society will be meeting October 7th to discuss plans moving forward, but in the meantime, Pettit has been offering private acting classes.

The Society had been developing plans to raise funds by hosting a circus show and boxing event with the Cold Lake Ag Society featured in a 1924 backdrop, but plans fell through after COVID-19 swept across Alberta.

The Society was best known for operating out of Beantree’s Cafe and The Grande Parlour for three years before then-president and former venue owner Craig Konechny announced it would be closing in January of this year due to trailing profits.

“If you would have told me that the Arts could be the lifeblood of a community, I would have laughed,” Konechny said in a press release. “Never in a million years would I believe I would become so passionate about something to the point where I would risk everything I had. The Arts became my blood flow and the community support became my drug.

Since the venue’s closure Konechny has sold Beantree’s to current owner Candace Ducharme, though whether or not The Grande Parlour will make a return has not been disclosed.

Members had approached city council about funding the venue, but were told that if the city was going to be involved they would need to see a plan.