Harrington Opera House provides a trip back in time

Friday night was a great opportunity for a nostalgia trip to the 1960s.

At a fundraising concert for the Harrington Opera House Society (HOHS), the Soda Creek 3 folk trio played to a good-sized, appreciative audience.

Paul Deuber, Jack Harroun and Stan Timperley provided a program of folk standards, as well as other songs, a couple of jokes and some good-natured bantering.

Most numbers were performed by the trio to two guitars and upright bass, although there were a few solos, including a touching if incomplete version of “Danny Boy”.

This listener was transported back to the days of the Brothers Four, Kingston Trio and a host of other folk music groups. The trio, who mentioned that they didn’t get much practice time because they live in widely spaced communities throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, blended their voices beautifully, and obviously were enjoying themselves.

The concert was an opportunity for the venue’s new sound system to be put to the test, and it performed very well.

Proceeds from the concert will be applied to the cost of installing an elevator to the upstairs hall, which is one of the current top priorities for the HOHS, and is budgeted at approximately $160,000. Also near the top of the list is an air conditioner, which some concert-goers would have appreciated.

The trio commented on the excellent acoustics in the Opera House, as well as progress of the renovation since the last time they performed there. Exposed beams in the main hall have been covered by sheetrock.

“Four Strong Winds”, “Today”, “Sloop John B” and “Yellow Bird” took us back to family singalongs. “Ghost Riders in the Sky” was just plain fun.

If you have not had an opportunity to attend an event at the Harrington Opera House, please consider doing so. The HOHS has done a masterful job of preserving the historic building while also providing for current-day safety concerns.For more information about the Opera House, visit http://www.harringtonoperahouse.org.