December is often a time to take stock—not just of what has been accomplished over the past year, but of what has been set in motion. In recent months, our work at ACTF has focused less on headlines and more on readiness: listening carefully, refining our role, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring that the path forward for live performing arts in our community—including building the Mid-Columbia Performing Arts Center—remains realistic and achievable.
Last week, I had the opportunity to assist backstage with Mid-Columbia Ballet’s highly successful run of The Nutcracker—five sold-out performances that were a testament to artistic excellence and quiet, behind-the-scenes dedication and hard work. For me, the experience carried personal meaning. The Nutcracker was the first major ballet I worked on decades ago as a college stagehand, and each December it serves as a reminder that what audiences experience onstage is made possible by unseen planning, coordination, and care.
That same kind of behind-the-scenes work is where ACTF is focused right now. This near-term work is not a departure from our goal, but an essential part of the work required to ultimately build the performing arts center. As we close the year, we invite you to consider a year-end investment that helps carry this work forward—supporting planning, coordination, partnerships, and near-term activity that ensure progress continues with intention. Many of you heard elements of this message at our recent Holiday Breakfast, and we’re grateful for the thoughtful conversations and generosity that continue to shape the work ahead.
As a community, we have learned that lasting cultural infrastructure is not created in a single moment, but through steady alignment between vision, resources, and trust. The support we receive now—and the support we will need in the months ahead—allows ACTF to begin a series of focused near-term initiatives, work that will only be achievable through sustained financial commitment. In the months ahead, we look forward to sharing more specific information about these initiatives and the key role they will play in advancing our goals. We are deeply grateful to those who give as the year closes, and we hope that support for this work will be seen as the beginning of sustained investment in what comes next.
All ACTF initiatives—near-term and long-term—are oriented toward a single goal: building the Mid-Columbia Performing Arts Center in a way that is sustainable and community-supported.
Wishing you all the best this holiday season!
Blake
