Weinberg Center In Frederick To Celebrate Its Centennial Next Year

It’s asking residents for ideas.Photos from the Weinberg Center for the Performing Arts Website)Frederick, Md (KM) A well known entertainment venue in Frederick is marking a major milestone next year. The Weinberg Center for the Performing Arts will be celebrating its centennial. Manager of Development, Rebecca O’Leary, says the Weinberg opened on December 23rd, 1926 as the Tivoli Theater. At the time it was a movie house. “This is the time when people were starting to see films as an art form in their own right and less than kind of a novelty. So we saw people start building grander places to see films. So that’s kind of what the Tivoli Theater was,” she said.The Trivoli eventually evolved into the Weinberg Center for the Performing Arts, and featured other forms of entertainment besides films.As aw a way to celebrate its 100th anniversary. the Weinberg is asking residents to bring forth  their ideas on how to mark   this occasion.  Dorian Young, Manager of Marketing, says these ideas could be in the form of entertainment. “And then also looking for anybody who’s willing to share their fond memories of coming to the Weinberg Center, if they have  special events that they held there, or performances that they attended that really stand out to them. We’re also looking for that,” Young says.”One idea that we bounced around was having an exhibit of the history of the Weinberg where people can come and look at historic photos,” she continues. “And we can track down any kind of–not artifacts, necessarily–any kind of historic actual pieces that we can display as well as art opportunities,”Residents who want to take part can provide their ideas through the Weinberg’s social media pages including Facebook, X, Instagram, and Youtube. They can also visit the survey page at the City of Frederick Website.  The deadline to submit ideas  is Monday, September 15th.The Weinberg has been through many trials and tribulations over the years, including flooding in downtown Frederick in 1976. “When that flood happened in the ’70’s, it was really the community that pulled together to save the Weinberg and really push for it to be a part of the city, and for them to reopen it as a performing arts center,” says Young.O’Leary also credits a former Mayor of Frederick. “I also think a lot of credit has to go to Ron Young who, of course, was Mayor of Frederick at the time that the Tivoli Theater kind of became the Weinberg Center,” she says.”And has been such a champion of the arts, and making Frederick into an arts destination which really helps put it  on the map for the arts, and has continued to be a huge supporter of both the arts and the Weinberg Center since.”Dorian Young says she believe the Weinberg will be around 20 and 30 years from now for future generations. “I do see the Weinberg standing for years to come. And it’s going to be a combination of that longstanding community aspect, as well as tourism,” she says. “And then just the fact that Frederick is growing so much and it’s being put on the map in a way that’s  continuous.”By Kevin McManus