Past Projects

The Clinton Fine Arts Association has been instrumental since 2013 in planning, funding and executing many projects that have supported the continuing growth of the performing arts  in the Clinton area. The following is a list of many of those projects and their benefits to the community.

THEATER LIGHT SYSTEM UPGRADE AT CHS

One of the first projects that CFAA facilitated is the upgrade to the traditional lighting system at the Clinton High School Vernon Cook Theater. 

The original light system consisted of only Incandescent and/or Halogen light fixtures that used enormous amount of power when operated.  At the time of the upgrade so few light fixtures worked that it was difficult to properly light up any performances on the stage. A calculation was done to identify the power draw if all the original light fixtures still worked and the power draw was a staggering 600 amps.

Another concern with the old system was that the existing wiring was so dilapidated that the system was no longer safe to use.

The control system for these lights was a very antiquated computer system run an old DOS based program. It was so outdated that actually programming the lights were extremely difficult to do.

The goal of the upgrade project was to replace all the old fixtures with new state of the art LED Fixtures, Bring the existing wiring up to current code requirements and put in place a new lighting control system that was up to date and consistent with current industry standards so students that were trained on the system would be properly educated if they wanted to enter the professional lighting field in the future.

Once the new system was put in place measurements were taken with every light fixture at full intensity and the new power draw for the system was 52 amps. The theater now had a new state of the art system that allowed for more in depth lighting scenes for all events.

MARCHING BAND SOUND SYSTEM

CFAA was approached to help raise funds to update the Clinton High School Marching band sound system.
Many competing schools had invested in sound systems for the pit area and field microphones to help amplify the sound and project it to the bleachers and the viewing audience. Since the current system being used by the marching band was not sufficient enough, it was determined that CHS was at a distinct disadvantage when trying to compete against other schools. The request from the band instructors was to have the ability to control the system wirelessly, initiate the use of field microphones along with dedicated microphones for the pit instruments and to have enough power to effectively broadcast the sound to a football field audience.
The new system achieved all of these goals and put the CHS marching band in a position to effectively compete again.

ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

It was determined that CFAA would start and provide a yearly scholarship for students that intended to continue their studies in the arts. An amount of $500.00 - $1000.00 would be made available each year to fund the scholarships. The quantity and amount of each scholarship would be voted on each year by the board of directors and the winners determined each year by the members of the scholarship committee.

ADOPT AN INSTRUMENT PROGRAM

This project was proposed to supply entree level band instruments to 5th grade students and families that could not obtain an instrument on their own due to financial difficulties. It was determined that instruments could be donated to CFAA allowing for a tax deduction because of the donation to a charitable non-profit group. Then CFAA funds would be used to repair and put these instruments in playable condition. A pool of these instruments was created and made available to first year band students that wanted to try band. The mission of the project is to make sure every student that wants to play an instrument will  have an instrument. Currently the average yearly cost to repair these instruments is between $1000.00 and $2000.00. On average, this program puts instruments in the hands of between 8 and 12 students each year that would not have had the chance to play in band otherwise.

COLOR GUARD FLAGS AND ACCESSORIES

The CFAA group was approached by the director of the CHS Color Guard and requested help in funding new flags and other accessories needed by the Color Guard.  A proposal of what was needed was created and presented to CFAA at a board meeting. it was a unanimous vote to help fund this project.  Because of the Clinton Fine Arts Association the CHS Color Guard was able to get all the items they needed.

NEW VERNON COOK THEATER CURTAIN

In partnership with the Clinton Community School District, CFAA was able to provide help with replacing the old torn main stage curtain in the theater that no longer operated correctly. This project was facilitated by the school but CFAA was happy to provide assistance to make sure this project was completed successfully.

SOUND ACOUSTIC SHELLS FOR THEATER

CFAA was presented a proposal for a project by the Clinton High School Choir Director outlining the need for reflective ceiling shells above the theater stage. The reason for these shells was to project non amplified sound more efficiently to the audience. Since most of the surfaces in the theater are soft absorbent materials it is very difficult to project sound to the audience that is not amplified through the sound system. In many cases such as choir, orchestra and band concerts it is too difficult to adequately mic these events so reflective shells were the obvious solution to the problem. With the help of these school entities this project was fully funded and completed, making these concert events much more enjoyable to the audience and the performing students.

NEW BAND INSTRUMENTS FOR THE MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL BAND

The Clinton Fine Arts Association was approached to help with a massive project with a goal of replacing the many damaged and outdated band instruments for both the Middle School and High School band programs. The board was presented photos of instruments that were held together with duct tape and other means to just make them playable. These instruments were being used by students that were traveling to competitions and trying out for All State Group. This was a project that desperately needed to be completed.
The initial proposal was estimated at $300,000.00 and after much discussion it was decided to break the project up into multiple phases. The first phase would include instruments needed of the highest priority. The amount funded for Phase One was $75,000.00 which included the purchase of $25,000.00 worth of equipment from the very popular Blue Stars Drum Corp organization and $50,000.00 in Brand new instruments that were divided up where needed at both the Middle School and the High School band programs.
CFAA intends to be part of the future phases of this project when they are presented.

CITY BAND SHELL SOUND SYSTEM

One of our latest projects was to partner with the City of Clinton and install a permanent sound system in the Riverview Park Band Shell. The band shell is a popular event facility for the citizens of Clinton and is used by many organizations including local non-profit groups, the Clinton Police department and the Clinton Parks and Recreation Department. Unfortunately for every event sound equipment needs to be rented by the event coordinator in order to project sound adequate enough to cover the expansive park grounds. Once installed, a professional sound system will be available to those entities that would like to rent the Band Shell from the city.
This project was presented in the fall of 2023 and fund raising was completed in the spring of 2024.  Audio equipment installation and updated electrical work began in July pf 2024 and was completed in the fall making the system ready for its first use at the City of Clinton Bacon & Brew Festival. The system performed flawlessly and is now ready for all events on the 2025 calendar. For those that would like to rent the band shell you can contact the City of Clinton Parks and Rec Department for more information.