Who says small-town America is dead?

Or the arts?

You can’t prove it by what’s happening in one small, American town here in Ulster County.

Harnessing the emerging power of social media on the Internet, not to mention unusually strong traditional ties to artistic luminaries, the Rosendale Theater Collective is on the cusp of acquiring a 275-seat theater that has shown films since 1949.

The non-profit group — a grassroots organization specifically formed to save the theater — hopes to close on the property on June 10, having raised just shy of half of the $385,000 price to purchase it from the Cacchio family, which has operated the theater for its 61 years of existence.

The effort was boosted recently by news the organization had won a $50,000 grant in the Pepsi Refresh contest by gathering votes through social networking on the Internet.

Advisory board members to the Rosendale Theater Collective include Melissa Leo, David Strathairn, Denny Dillon, Aidan Quinn, Mandy Patinkin and Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow.

The collective plans to renovate the stage area to improve the performance area and slightly increase the seating capacity.

It’s a testament to the strength of the community that it has been able to mount this effort, which would seem to recognize its recognition that its strength depends on this local arts institution.

That’s a reality, not a mere nostalgic sentiment for the quirky theater. Trundling on down to the theater to see fellow townspeople, as well as a movie, is a simple ritual of renewal and pleasure that is of inestimable value to the sustaining bonds of community. Continued...

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Rosendale will be the better for this well-considered act of community.

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