New faces greeting visitors at Paramount
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on December 8, 2010 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
One of two nutcrackers stands guard outside the Paramount Theatre this holiday season.
Go to any event at the Paramount Theatre during the holiday season and you'll be greeted by two 9 1/2-foot tall nutcrackers.
They are made out of plywood. Their uniform jackets are bright red with gold trim. Their pants are a bold purple and their tall hats are deep blue with gold trim. Each nutcracker holds a horn with which to welcome visitors.
The nutcrackers came about when Paramount director Sherry Archibald and Downtown Development Corp. director Julie Thompson saw a need for something colorful to spruce up the theater for the holiday season. They decided to make something themselves.
Stephanie Ross with DS Simmons, a theater supporter, came up with the idea of nutcrackers.
"We were trying to come up with a Christmas decoration that would have an impact and some relevance to the theater itself," she said. "Working with a limited budget and limited time, we were thinking that something big would have the biggest pow on the building. I thought nutcrackers could be standing guard at the doors."
"We wanted some kind of presence to greet visitors to the Paramount," Mrs. Archibald said. "We got the plywood and cut the nutcrackers out," Mrs. Archibald said. "Then we painted them."
Also helping make the nutcrackers was Tasha Logan.
Time didn't allow embellishments like buttons and trim for their uniforms, that will come next year.
"We'll keep them and put them out at Christmas every year," Mrs. Archibald said. "And we'll probably add something new each year."
She said the nutcrackers were a great addition for "The Nutcracker" ballet. "That was just icing on the cake, just good timing," she said.
Mrs. Archibald said visitors to the Paramount have been enjoying the nutcrackers.
And they're not just for those visiting the theater, but are also for anyone who may be downtown looking at the Christmas lights or riding the trolley.