By Walt McRee

"Removal Leads to Renewal" is the theme this Saturday at the Sorg Opera House in Middletown as community volunteers gather for a vigorous day of disposal of old items, trash, waste, and anything that won't have a future in the revitalized commercial section of the building.  Anyone who wants to participate in the effort is encouraged to take part in a day of community clean-up that promises to be invigorating, fun, and extremely helpful.

SORG (Sorg Opera Revitalization Group) is gearing up for a year of progress at the Opera House complex and is inviting  all interested, able and supportive neighbors to come help make the important initial transition from its current state to enable a fresh start for moving forward.  Two large dumpsters will be positioned to accept the refuse and debris, and volunteers will need to be prepared.

"There's a lot to do" says Chuck Miller, SORG president, "but we're excited about spending the day with folks who share the vision of the Sorg's future.  Their help will make a tremendous difference for us as we work together to recover this building from its unfortunate recent past."  Miller says the volunteer effort will help save thousands of dollars for the many other building needs to be addressed.

"Based on early registration, it looks like we're going to have a really nice-sized group of helpers," says Denise Brodsky, VP of Development for SORG.  Over seventy people have already signed up to be part of the clean-out, and we're hoping  even more will show up.  The event starts at 9:00AM this Saturday, February 16, and will run until late in the afternoon.  A volunteers meeting will lay out tasks and provide safety instructions for dealing with discarding and handling materials.

"We're taking care to insure that unusually heavy or potentially dangerous  materials are dealt with by those capable of dealing with them, and will make sure that helpers are fully supported through the day," says Ken Bowman,  SORG Director.  "It's important that people bring or wear protective clothing items like sturdy work shoes, work gloves, long-sleeve shirts and pants and that they wear layers of clothing to help keep the chill off since the building isn't heated."

Other items helpers are asked to bring include hand tools such as saws, heavy hammers, pliers, heavy wire shears, safety glasses, ear plugs, breathing masks, brooms, plastic bags, wheelbarrows, trouble lights, portable circular saws and drills, heavy hammers, sledge hammers, hand sanitizer, water, snacks, etc.  Marking personal tools will be helpful for identifying them at the end of the day.

Donations to help cover the cost of the dumpsters would also be most welcome. The work will be focused on the front "Commercial" section of the complex as well as some backstage debris.  Workers will be asked to sign a work release form and will be given safety instructions by floor managers at 9 AM.  The workday is expected to conclude around 5:00 PM.

To pre-register, volunteers can email www.info@sorgopera.org  or visit the Sorg Opera House Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SorgOperaHouse)

"Community participation like this demonstrates the vibrant spirit and pride that Middletowner's have for this treasured building.  We'll need all the help we can get as we turn a new page in bringing this beauty back to life," says Miller.