Boalsburg residents will celebrate the birthday of the historic village and of America itself with a free festival and a benefit ball over the Columbus Day holiday weekend.
The festival is designed to raise awareness about Boalsburg’s heritage. The ball is intended to “raise the roof” and fix roof leaks that are now threatening the 200-year-old Boal Mansion Museum.
Buoyed by the surge of community support to save the Boal Barn Playhouse, which resulted in repairs that have allowed the facility to now comply with fire and safety codes, the Boal Museum Board has decided to try another very big project — re-roofing the northern portion of the Boal Mansion Museum.
“There is an urgent need to put an end to leaks that are damaging the internationally renowned historic building and the collection within,” says museum CEO Christopher Lee.
Project architect Philip Foreman estimates it will take $200,000 to replace the existing crumbling leaking asphalt shingle roof with a long-lasting standing seam roof as recommended by the architectural conservation plan written for the site by architect Dale Frens, of West Chester.
Fundraising for such an expensive project also can be “fun raising,” and the roofing campaign is no exception. The campaign will kick off with the “Let’s Raise the Roof” ball at the Boal Mansion at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, that will honor major contributors to the campaign with champagne, punch, and hors d’oeuvres from area restaurants, as well as contra dancing.
The festive event will also feature a mid-evening speaking appearance of historical characters from the eight generations of the Boal family and their friends, some in period dress, who have shaped the community and the nation.
Many of the historical characters will appear again at the Boalsburg Heritage Birthday Festival in the village square from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12. The festival commemorates the founding of Boalsburg in October 1808 and Columbus’ historic landing in the New World in October 1492.
The Columbus focus is explained by the fact that the Columbus Chapel at the Boal Mansion Museum is the strongest tangible link in North America to the famous explorer and has been featured on BBC-TV in the United Kingdom and Belgian National Public TV.
The museum is open daily to the public. Details can be found at the museum’s web site, www.boalmuseum.com.
The Sunday festival also features top area musicians, including John “JTBlues” Thompson, Richard Sleigh, Bruce Young, and Tommy Wareham and the Intrigues, as well as arts and crafts and food booths.
During the festival, free wagon rides with a tour guide will be offered through the village and down to the Boal Mansion and Columbus Chapel, which will be open from noon to 5 p.m.
Donations for the museum roofing project may be made to the nonprofit “Boal Mansion Museum,” P.O. Box 116, Boalsburg, PA 16827.
For more information on the project or the festival, and for tickets to the benefit ball at $100 per person, visit www.boalmuseum.com, email office@boalmuseum.com or call (814) 466-9266.
