FOLA Organizes to Serve Ludlow

There's a new guy on the block in Ludlow by the name of Friends of Ludlow Auditorium, or FOLA for short.  Fola formally came into existence on Oct 1 when Vermont issued it a certificate of incorporation as a non-profit organization.

According to Ralph Pace, FOLA's Chair, "FOLA's mission is to encourage and promote the use of the renovated auditorium in town Hall for all appropriate forms of the performing arts". He said that "Ludlow has a great venue to support the entertainment and education of its residents. FOLA is a means of ensuring that area residents will benefit from it".

FOLA already has arranged five concert dates in June and July for the Okemo Young Artists Program. OYAP will present master concerts featuring members of the renown teaching faculty along with advanced students.

Christine Fuller of Ludlow observed, "I jumped at the opportunity to join some of our most outstanding community leaders who share my interest in bringing additional entertaining venues to Ludlow. We have a beautiful Town Hall auditorium recently refurbished by the support of our citizens and this our chance to use it to make a difference".

Bruce Farr noted that the creation of FOLA provided Ludlow with an opportunity "to sponsor and promote a variety of art and entertainment programs that would benefit the community".
Fellow board member David Almond playing added, “We don’t expect to just fiddle around!" Almond already proved this point by beginning the process of registering FOLA as a 501 (c) (3) organization.

Anita Alic called the formation of FOLA a "great opportunity for everyone in Ludlow to work together to provide a venue of entertainment that matches the richness and quality of our restored Town Hall auditorium".

Pace indicated that FOLA is open to all area residents. "The more people who become involved in FOLA, the better we can reflect programs that are of interest to them". He said information about membership may be obtained by contacting him at ralphpace@tds.net or 228-7239. Pace said a web site would be available in the future.

At its recent organization meeting, seven area residents gathered to serve as the initial Board of Directors of FOLA. Pictured above are, from left to right, Ralph Pace, Janet Pace, David Almond, Frank Heald, Bruce Farr, Anita Alic, and Christine Fuller.