Music in the Park revue will help raise funds for Halton Hills landmark

The annual benefit in support of The Old Armoury in Halton Hills is being held next weekend in Georgetown.

“Music in the Park is a musical revue put on by Globe Productions that celebrates our love for musicals, the songs that capture our hearts and minds, and the great friendships we make as part of a community theatre family,” said a spokesperson for Globe Productions.

The producer/director is William Reill and the musical director is David Bernacki.

Performances are being held Friday, Aug. 25 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 26, at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 27, at 2 p.m. at 1 Park Ave.

All proceeds will go to the upkeep of The Old Armoury, a wood frame, post and beam structure of about 5,000 sq.-ft. which was built by the village of Georgetown in 1866 as a drill hall for the local militia.

In 1890 the structure was relocated from the Market Square area a few blocks away to its present spot in the Georgetown Fairgrounds Park.

“The Old Armoury has been an integral part of Georgetown throughout its long history,” said Mark Rowe, past chair of the Heritage Halton Hills Committee.

“While the building was designed to be purely functional, its historic significance and cultural importance have rendered it more valuable than most fine architecture in the town. As one of the oldest buildings in the town, The Old Armoury is a very well-known local structure and a fixture of the park. Like many of the older drill halls, it has also served as a community centre and dance hall.”

Most of the 100 drill halls and armouries that were constructed in Ontario and Quebec during that time have been demolished. Georgetown’s Old Armoury was the last functioning Drill Hall dating from the 1860s, only ending this role in 1997 when the Lorne Scots, ‘C’ Company moved to their newly constructed Armoury on Todd Road.

In World War I, The Old Armoury served as the recruitment centre for the 4th Battalion which formed part of the first Overseas Expeditionary Force in 1914.

There are no advance tickets being sold, but minimum donation of $20 per person is suggested.