Fired up

THRASHER OPERA HOUSE board President Greg Becker, left, sets fire to the Thrasher annex mortgage held by past president Scott Krause. Looking on are Thrasher staff, from left, Executive  Director Roby Irvin, Development Director Maria Dietrich and Administrative Assistant Martha Janz.    Tim Lyke photo

Thrasher burns annex mortgage, reveals plans for more music education

A fire at the Thrasher Opera House?

Yes, but the only firefighters on the scene were donors who helped extinguish a mortgage on the Thrasher annex, the office building just north of the downtown Green Lake concert venue.

Friends, volunteers and staff gathered recently in the Thrasher annex  lobby, and later in the parking lot, to burn mortgage, signifying that both the Thrasher and its office building are debt-free.

“This moment was a wonderful triumph, brought about by many generous donors over a period of six years,” said Maria Dietrich, Thrasher development director.

At last week’s event, a thank-you party underwritten by the Thrasher board of directors, a new plaque was unveiled.

It lists the names of donors who contributed to a series of campaigns beginning with an emergency fund drive to collect a down payment for the office building when it became available during the economic downturn in the fall of 2008.

Donors worked at paying off the mortgage until a year ago, when it stood at $100,000, and the organization was approached by a donor who wanted to pay off the balance.

“We were totally blown away by the generosity of this donor,” Dietrich said.

The donor has remained anonymous, and in fact, the first name listed at the top of the new plaque is “Anonymous.”

“Having the mortgage paid off allows us to step out of the hole and into the light,” Dietrich said. “We can focus more on what we want to do with the building, rather than putting all our energy into paying it off.”

Future plans involve an expansion of programming in music education and appreciation, “which will dovetail nicely with what we’re already doing in presenting live performances,” Thrasher Executive Director Roby Irvin said. “We want to continue to grow our year-round impact in the local and wider community, enriching and improving the quality of life for both residents of and visitors to this beautiful area of Wisconsin.”