COME ONE! - COME ALL!
TO THE MILFORD TOWN HALL
for a
EUCHRE
P A R T Y
Tuesday, March 22

1:00pm to 3:30pm
Great Prizes and Refreshments
Admission - $10 each

 

Press Release from George Underhill, TaborFix Committee

TaborFix

Mount Tabor in Milford was designated a historical building in 1985.  Originally built as a Wesleyan Methodist Church on a high point of land overlooking Milford between 1865 and 1867, it was closed in in 1967 and subsequently sold to the Township of South Marysburgh for a dollar to be used for “community purposes”.

It has served the community well, being utilized by performing arts groups like the Marysburgh Mummers and the Festival Players, the Milford Fair, numerous musical performances, drama and arts camps, 4-H Club, Brownies and Cubs, The Milford Market, and others.

           

In 2010, a comprehensive inspection was completed on Mount Tabor and some $90,000 of fire prevention remediation measures were identified. Since then, some of the most pressing flaws have been  fixed, including an electronic fire alarm system, the installation of front doors that swing outwards with crash bars, and a re-organization of the seating to comply with fire codes.

           

Much remains to be done if Mount Tabor is to continue its contribution to the culture and economy of the County. The Marysburgh Mummers have identified several items, such as fire retardant curtains  and seating, lighting and other items which they have budgeted to address. There remains some $25,000 of remediation to be completed.  TaborFix, a group of volunteers chaired by Doug Parker, has been formed to help save this historic and valuable community asset.

           

In the short term, fund raising activities are planned including an auction, a card party, special concerts at Jackson’s Falls, with others in development. 

To donate quality items for our auction call either Leon McConnel at 476-6606, Doug Parker at 476-1543 or George Underhill at 476-5940 and TaborFix will arrange a pick up.

Those with an abiding concern for our historical building heritage may wish to donate money to the cause, and TaborFix will happily accept funds, small amounts or large. We’ve lost too many historical buildings.

If you wish a tax receipt make the cheque out to The County of Prince Edward.

If you don’t require a tax receipt, simply make the cheque out to TaborFix.

Mail all donations to: 

TaborFix, c/o Diane Underhill, Treasurer

104 Goodman Crescent, RR#2 Milford, ON   K0K 2P0.

Of course, sweat equity in the form of volunteering to help is welcome too.

Let’s save this historical and valuable building!

           

BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR

HELP SAVE MOUNT TABOR.

How can I make a donation?

If you require a tax receipt, make the cheque out to The County of Prince Edward.

If you do not require a tax receipt, make the cheque out to TaborFix.

Cheques are mailed to: 

TaborFix
c/o Diane Underhill, Treasurer
104 Goodman Crescent
RR#2 Milford, ON  
K0K 2P0

Will you write a letter of support?

What does Mt. Tabor mean to you? 

Why is it an important cultural and heritage space for The County? 

Please email letters of support to Lori:  learnin4@bellnet.ca            

                              

With your permission, these letters might be posted on this blog to help spread the word and show support for this important heritage and cultural space.

TaborFix Fundraising AUCTION!
Donations Needed!

Auction Date:  April 16th @ Mt. Tabor

(More info to follow!)

We need donations of quality items to auction—and we’ll pick them up! (between April 1 - 11)

To donate, call:  Leon McConnell (476-6606)

Doug Parker (476-1543) or Bruce Dowdell (476-8891).

Mount Tabor History

PHOTO:  Mount Tabor, circa 1900

Mount Tabor Playhouse sits on a height of land overlooking the village of Milford.  The building, a former United Church, consists of the theatre that seats 140 people and Bredin Hall, built in 1997.

The hall contains a costume room, snack bar and washrooms.  This replaced the original Sunday Schoolroom.

The land was bought to build Mount Tabor Church in 1833 by trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  A second church, Wesleyan Methodist, and eventually United, was erected between 1865 and 1867.  Mount Tabor Church remained vibrant and served Milford and the community for 100 years.

This church was built mostly by the brains, blood and muscle of one man, Doctor Hautry Bredin. He spent much of his own money on this ‘Temple to the Lord’ which was dedicated in 1867 by Rev. James Thompson. On June 25, 1967, Rev. J. A. Davidson preached at the centennial service which was also the last one. His topic was, “Has the Church had it?”  South Marysburgh Township bought the church for one dollar in 1968.

Eighteen years were to pass before it became a theatre and home for The Marysburgh Mummers and used by various other performers, both local and international.

The most notable feature is the steeple which soars high above the village.  In order to paint it, Dr. Bredin was slung up with pulleys, since no others wished to climb to such a lofty and dangerous place. With this building’s conversion to a theatre, numerous renovations by volunteers have occurred while acknowledging its church origins. Shavings and a tool from the original construction were found during the building of the stage balcony.

Rev. Davidson said, during the last sermon, that “...greater things will be done...” Certainly, the building has taken a different tack from that of weekly worship.

After 18 years of sitting empty, several concerned citizens joined together to discuss possible ways to avoid having the beautiful landmark fall into disrepair.  They discussed different possibilities, but soon discovered they all had a love of theatre.  They decided to put on a play!  In 1985, they produced “Look Who’s Laughing”.  Since that time, The Marysburgh Mummers have officially become a recreation group under The County of Prince Edward Parks and Recreation.  Mt. Tabor has become a well-loved and appreciated performance space.

Other groups and clubs including Brownies, Scouts, Cubs, Ventures, 4-H, performing artists, Milford Fair, and even a wedding have all contributed to this historic site and in doing so, have turned the focus of worship in the older days into the newer focus of bringing people together for skill building and entertainment through performance opportunities.

TaborFix

A group of concerned community members have joined together to create TaborFix, a committee determined to keep Mt. Tabor open and viable.  Members include representatives from:  Miford Fair Board, South Marysburgh/Athol School Parent Group, South Bay United Church, The Marysburgh Mummers, local businesses (Black River Cheese Factory, Jackson's Falls B&B, Milford B&B, etc.), South Marysburgh Rec Committee, as well as other concerned individuals. 

Mt. Tabor, and the surrounding fairgrounds, are used by many groups over the course of a year.  The closure of Mt. Tabor would have a profound effect on many people and groups who have been using the space for years.  Certainly, Mt. Tabor is an important part of Milford, and plays a vital role in South Marysburgh culture and recreation.  It is a Heritage building that is used, and enjoyed, by people from all across The County. 

Watch for upcoming posts and events!

Moving Seats!

Mt. Tabor and the Fire Code - What are the issues?

In April 2010, the County's Fire Prevention officer, along with the building inspector, conducted an inspection of Mount Tabor Community Playhouse and Bredin Hall.  This was part of a county-wide inspection of private and County owned public buildings.  After the initial inspection, a fire prevention engineer was hired and he identified 20 deficiencies in Mount Tabor and Bredin Hall.  The most pressing were: (1) a monitored fire alarm system, (2) Fire doors separating Bredin Hall and the theatre, (3) the front doors had to swing out and be equipped with crash bars, (4) the rows of seats had to be moved to meet the minimum space between rows, (5) the Mummers' storage of props, costumes etc in the balcony and bell tower had to be removed.  Until these items had been fixed, any performance in the theatre required a "fire watch" which entailed hiring three firefighters for each performance. 

The Recreation, Parks & Culture Department diverted money that had been allotted to Mount Tabor in the 2010 budget and supplemented with donations from the Milford Fair Board and the Mummers, took care of the first three items.  The Mummers looked after items 4 and 5.  The fire watch has now been cancelled, which means that there does not have to be firemen present for each performance.  However, there are still fifteen items to be completed.  The Mummers are looking after some of them such as new stage curtains made of flame retardant material.

There are three large items that still have to be completed.  In Bredin Hall, the ceiling has to be covered with fire retardant dry wall as well as the crawl space that houses the furnace.  The front steps have to be rebuilt to accommodate the doors opening out.  The remaining items are relatively small but will still have to be completed by this fall.

TaborFix, a group of concerned community representatives, are raising the funds to make sure the front steps are renovated and assist in some of the other upgrades.

The Recreation, Parks, and Culture Department has asked that County Council allot funds in the new budget to address and complete the needed renovations.  Their decision remains to be seen, but TaborFix is moving forward in raising money.