The luncheon began with Viki Brown giving a wonderful tribute to Annette Godfrey for all her many contributions to the club. Annette's creative talents provided the table decorations for our luncheons throughout the years as well as putting together our artsy directories.
Our guest speaker for the February 21st luncheon was Ron McUne, Co-chair of the Holly Restoration Committee. The Historic Holly Theatre opened in 1930. At the time, it was the largest movie palace in Medford and the first in this area designed to show”talking” pictures. The Holly closed in 1986 and was slated for demolition in the 1990's. In 1998 the Holly Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It remained empty and was condemned. In 2011, the non-profit JPR Foundation purchased the Holly with the intention of restoring it for musical venues and community programs. Restoration work still continues today, but its completion, and an opening date, are now in sight. Projects like these help attract businesses to the area and re-vitalize the community. In October of 2015 the EPWC went on a tour of the building. A show of hands demonstrated how many of the current members have not toured the theater. We hope to do another tour in the near future. Stay tuned.
The Luncheon ended with a delightful surprise. Cathy Wallace of Heaven Scent Flowers gave each of the luncheon attendees a sweet bouquet of roses to take home.
