This is an aerial view looking from then entrance to the theatre. You can see the lower performance deck surrounded by the seating areas. The main stage can be seen beyond the lower performance deck. New in the design are upper decks that connect stage right and stage left in an arc that encloses the center wall. The center wall has been extended from 8 feet high to 16 feet high and has upper decking in front and back. There are stairs located on either side near the audience with another backstage. The actors will be able to access the upper deck by any of the stairs and perform from one side to the other. There will be a 4 foot wide isle between the seats that lead to an 8' x 16' performance area/lighting tower located behind the stage right and stage left seating areas. Actors will be able to access these performance decks from a back stage staircase. Actors will be able to enter or exit the stage via these new performance areas. In addition to their use as a performance platform, there will be a light bar attached to the top of the side performance decks and the space below the deck is a new storage space. Behind the center stage seating is a new light and sound booth that also has a narrow performance space and light bars above with storage below.

This is a view back sage showing the staircase leading up to the upper center deck. In addition, on either side of the back stage area will be two buildings we'll be using as dressing rooms. Actual dressing rooms, who'd ever thought we'd have that?

This third view is an aerial view looking from back stage right. You can see the upper decks and the windows of the light/sound booth looking out from behind the center stage seating area. You can also see some of the walls on the back side of the upper decks with openings at various points to allow entry and exit by actors.

This last view from behind the light booth looking towards the main stage shows how the second level of the light booth will be enclosed at each end to make secure buildings to store the sound and light equipment but also leaves a path through which actors can enter and leave the stage.

We added the 2x4 wall supports under the lower 4' square set piece and decked it over so that all it needs are sides. This piece is a temporary set piece that can be moved in to complete the spiral staircase effect along with a couple of staircases or removed to open the stage further. It all depends on what Johnny will need for any particular play. We still have to build the staircase set pieces that allow actors to easily climb up onto this piece.

We also built the walls that flank the stage left and center stage seating decks today. Here (right) you see the walls that flank the stage left seating deck.

In this view (left) you can see both the center stage retaining walls for the seating deck and the stage left seating wall. You can also see Fingerz measuring and cutting boards.

One last view of the lower two of the stage left intermediate decks with their 2x4 supporting walls. We've decked the lowest of the platforms as you can see here (right) but haven't decked the other one yet.

We are taking the next few days off to take care of other things but will try to get the upper part of the center wall put up before the start of the season on Friday.

Major progress today. The main deck is completely covered and we began positioning the stage left multi-level decks and putting up their support walls. We are now into the really fun part of the construction and it goes pretty quickly.

This view (right) shows the two 6'x6' and two 4'x4' platforms in position. The platforms will be supported by 2x4 walls below and will contain various openings through which actors can sneak on and off the stage. The platforms create a spiral staircase effect giving Johnny different levels on which to position actors. The variety of possibilities will be increased further by making the lowest of the 4'x4' platforms a temporary set piece that can be moved to other locations or coupled with stair set pieces to connect it to the lowest of the 6'x6' sections seen here on the right side of the image. We'll also build such set pieces as ladders that Johnny can use or not in each play making the set very versatile.

We also completed the decking on the stage right seating platform. All that remains is to get it inspected by the city so we can cover the walls with 1x6 boards, build the storage building/light tower/performance deck behind it and connect them with a staircase.

This (right) is a view of the upper performance deck along with the stage left decks from the top level of the stage right seating deck. By the way, we've also finished decking the upper performance deck giving us a very nice shade spot on the main stage where we can sit in the shade and get some rest.

Today we nearly finished putting down the decking on the main stage. There are only about 4 rows to go, maybe an hour's worth of work. But it's hot and we are tired so Fingerz (Brian) who is helping me now and I decided we'd had enough for today and we'll finish it tomorrow.

A view of the decking from stage left looking backstage right.

Added in the 2x6 cross supports to the framing of the stage right seating deck. These supports, placed every 24" support the 2x6 decking that will cover the seating platforms and support the new benches.

A view of the supports for the upper performance deck. We also have been placing 2x6 boards on the main performance deck to get them into position to complete the main stage decking.

Alright now, We've now got the 2x6 boards in place that connect all of the 4x4 posts together and have added in the back retaining wall. The gap in the back retaining wall is where the staircase goes that extends up to the roof of the storage building that is yet to be built. The roof of the storage building is a performance space for the actors..

To the right is just another view of the new seating risers that have been built.

To the left is an end-on view of the cross-supports adding strength to the structure of the seating risers. Tom Powell, our structural engineer came out to look at the construction of the seating riser and liked the way it was built.

I started to frame up the safety walls at the ends of the stage right seating platforms and position the 4x4 posts that will support the seating decks.

Just another view (right) of the beginnings of the seating riser stage right. Each of the 4x4 posts is attached to the deck with a metal bracket. The posts will be joined together with 2x6 boards that will support the 2x6 decking that will make up the platforms to hold the benches.

Ok, so here are the new handrails for the bandstand. I hope these pass inspection as I'm getting a little tired tearing them out and redoing them.

We've taken out the non-conforming handrails at the concessions building, poured concrete piers and set in 4x4 posts that will help support the new handrails.

To the left is the stage left audience seating deck fully covered now. It certainly makes it a lot easier to walk on the deck when it is covered (safer too).

To the right, Harold has been working on the decking of the main stage. He's completed the rounded area at the front and is trimming off the excess wood.

To the left is the center stage seating deck that I got partially covered late last night and carried over additional boards to get ready to add more decking today.

We have in place all of the vertical uprights that will support the upper deck. Here you can see the 4x4 posts that are bolted to large concrete piers measuring 2 x 2 foot and 18 inches deep. The posts are connected to the main stage support framing and will gain additional support from various structural walls that will be built.

To the right is just another view of the upper deck supports and the center wall.

We've carried over 2x6 boards (left) and laid them on the center stage seating deck in preparation to nailing them down.

We are in decking mode now and here (right) you see the stage left audience seating deck nearly finished.

The main stage isn't our only project. We've been working on the bandstand and concessions buildings too. Here is the bandstand that we've been having problems getting through the final inspection just because the inspector didn't like our hand rails. Soooo, I've torn them out once again and will try to build something that will pass inspection next time.

We got in a couple more loads of lumber from Teague. Here (left) you can see the new stacks of 2x6's we need to finish the decking of the main deck.

To the right we are looking at the lower part of the center wall from backstage. You can see the PVC pipes coming up through the deck. These pipes were put in so we would have three 2" pipes through which electrical lines could be run from the light boot to the backstage area if needed. There is also a single 1-1/2" pipe for running audio and video cables through.

Just one more view of the main deck area looking towards the center wall and showing the PVC cables in place to carry electrical, sound and video cables through.

We've begun to deck over the main part of the stage. Here you can see the decking that has been put down on the stage right area of the main deck.

In this image to the right you can see we've been working on and have finished the intermediate deck stage left. We are also working on the decking of the stage left seating deck.

Under the center stage seating deck, we've run electrical PVC pipe and tied it into the metal pipes running under the lower performance deck. Here you can see the pipes supported every 8 feet or less and turning up just inside where the front wall of the light booth will be built. The 2s4's lying on the deck braces represent the end of the seating risers (foreground) and the front wall of the light booth (background).

This last image for today shows the stage left seating area has begun to be decked over.

I know there hasn't been much to show for a few weeks as we worked under the main stage to shore it up. However, as you can see that is all about to change very rapidly. Last week we had the building inspector out to look at the framing of the stage and he generally liked what he saw but he wanted our building engineer to look at it before we could begin decking. Last Friday, our building engineer, Tom Powell, examined the deck structure and loved it and commented in his letter to the city inspectors that the structure was 1000 times better than how it looked last year. I asked him if I could begin decking and he said to go ahead. So...what you see to the left is the stage right audience seating area completely decked. On top of this, we will be building seating risers and a storage building that does triple duty as a storage building, performance deck and light tower.

To the right is the stage right intermediate deck fully covered. In the background, you can also see the lower half of the center wall with the 6x6 supporting beams now in place behind it. These posts are anchored to 6 cu ft of concrete under the deck and will have additional bracing added under the deck. These posts support the 16 foot center wall and also create support for the soon to be added upper performance deck.

Here is another view of the center wall with the 6x6 supports in place behind it. We will be adding other 4x4 vertical supports on Monday to complete the placement of the vertical supports so we can finish the decking. You can also see in this picture a row of decking board spanning the 88 foot width of the main deck of the stage. This is the key row for the decking on of the main stage deck. We had to establish this line of boards due to the complex geometry of the stage. From this line, we will deck towards the front and back of the stage and will be able to have all of the rows lined up properly.

We haven't just been working on the main stage though. We have also been working in the backyard getting the structures there ready for the Bluegrass Festival. We have now finished the new handrails for the front and back stairs on the bandstand and will call for a final inspection of it and the entrance facade to the main stage. Both structures should now pass final building inspection.

The stairs on the back of the bandstand are there for musicians to load and unload their equipment. You can also see that we've added in rails to keep the drummer from falling off the stage.

We are also working on the concessions building. We have accepted a bid to repair the electrical inside the building and are hoping that work will begin this week. We have removed the serving platform that blocked the porch of the concessions building for last years Blues Festival and have removed the handrails that didn't meet city code. We've poured concrete piers and will be adding new handrails soon. We have also put in temporary bracing for the roof so we can build a 2x8 beam to insert above the trees that hold the roof. Once that is done and the awnings at each end of the building are repaired, all we will have left is fixing the foundation. For that, we will do just like we did for the bandstand and the main stage. We will pour a concrete pier under each 4x4 that supports the concessions building around the periphery. We will finish all work except for the concrete piers before the Bluegrass Festival.

In this final picture, you can see the ramp and the awning at the end of the concessions building. The handrails have been removed and new concrete piers poured for the support of the new handrails. The temporary supports of the awning are also visible.

Now that we have the main piers poured, we can concentrate our efforts on completing the main stage decking support, replacing all of the bricks and odd blocks holding the main stage with poured-in-place concrete piers. This picture (left) shows what we are doing at every one of the vertical supports. We are cutting off the wooden supports so we can place a concrete pier frame that is at least 5 inches thick. Inside this two pieces of rebar are embedded in the ground (rock) to keep the pier base from slipping sideways. A right-angle strap is attached to the wooden brace that extends down into the concrete to hold the vertical post to the concrete. The tube is then filled with concrete to the base of the wooden post.

With the concrete poured for the main piers, we could begin laying the framing for the center stage seating deck (right) along with the audience right seating deck. In this view of the center stage seating deck, you can see that we were able to pour the concrete piers every 5 feet with the piers coming up to the base of the boards. The boards are connected to the piers with the right-angle metal strap as shown above.

The audience right seating area has also been added as shown in this photo (left). It too has the concrete piers poured up to the base of each 2x8 brace. In the background, just before my truck, you can see the main concrete piers that the deck will be extended to for anchoring. With all of the concrete piers under the main stage we are now anchoring it to the ground with approximately 30,000 lbs of concrete.

We also got in a load of lumber with which we will be able to finish the main decking and begin the process of covering the deck with 2x6 boards. We also have a good pile of 2x4's with which to begin framing the five storage buildings that make up the main stage area. This coming week, we will continue to extend all three seating decks out to their full 27 foot length and pouring piers under the main deck. If all goes well, I am hoping to call for a framing inspection this Thursday for a Friday inspection. Assuming we can meet this goal, we will be able to begin decking the stage this coming weekend. Once the seating decks are decked over, we will be able to build the seating platforms and frame in the new light booth.

These last two pictures should give you some sense of the size of the new stage. Overall, the stage measures about 80 feet wide by about 100 feet deep. These shots I took while standing on top of our lumber pile shown above.

In this picture (right) you can see the stage-left seating area and between it and the main deck the intermediate deck level by which the audience may, at times, be asked to leave the main theatre space to enter the performance field just East of the main stage. We will be adding a step at the end of this lower deck to get people down to ground level and will have an alternate route with a ramp for people who may be in wheel-chairs.

I know it doesn't look like there's been much going on with the construction but that's not true. Most of the work for the past week has been under the deck and not much to write about. However, all that changed today when two big things happened. We got in a new load of lumber from Teague Lumber today (shown being unloaded) and poured the concrete piers.

Cowtown RediMix brought out 7 yards of concrete so we were busy filling all those holes we've been digging. We began by pouring the piers at the four corners of the band stand. After we finished that, we poured all of the piers over at the main stage. We had put a bunch of new piers under the boards supporting the stage right seating deck and had enough concrete to fill all of them. What we have left to do, before calling for a framing inspection, is finish pouring piers under all of the main stage vertical supports, extend all seating area decks out to their full 27 foot distance.

We got in a load of lumber and with it we were able to add the decking you see here. In the foreground is the decking on top of which will be built the audience left seating platforms. In the background, you can see the extension of the stage right decking. There are still two pieces to add to this; one lies between the two sections you see here. It will be at the same height as the main deck and will come up to the audience seating area and connect into the intermediate deck just off the end of the lower performance deck. The other is an extension of the audience seating deck back another 8 feet to the berm. On this will be built the storage building/light tower.

We also began working on the concrete pads that will be used to tie the entire stage deck to the ground. Here two of the Labor Ready workers are adding rebar to the holes to make them ready for pier inspections. We need one more full day to complete the framing and setting of the rebar. After the rebar is set, we will call in a pier inspection and once that is passed, we will call in a concrete truck and pour the pads. After this is done, we will be able to continue deck construction. Below you can see one of the completed pier holes ready for inspection and concrete.

On Friday, Jason Ivy and I drove up to Denton to pick up a donation of bricks from ACME bricks. Those bricks combined with a donation from The Old Home Supply via Ralph Watterson gave us enough to complete the entry porch to the theatre. Thanks to ACME Brick and Ralph Watterson for their donations.

We used up the rest of the wood we had for deck construction and added to the stage right and stage left decking. By 4 PM on Saturday, we received a new load of lumber so on Sunday we will be working to complete the decking stage right.

During the wait for the lumber delivery, we worked on the bandstand and were able to install the 2x12's that were needed and tie them into the roof with the hurricane clips. All we need to do now to finish the bandstand is finish the piers at each corner and replace the stairs and fix a couple of electrical items.

Lots accomplished today. The guys from Labor Ready were back out and as you can see by this picture, we completed the lower performance deck. Johnny came out to look at it just after we finished trimming off the excess wood around the edges. It is really sturdy but has just enough spring for dancing.

We've begun to frame out the intermediate deck off stage right as you can see in this photo. The guys have also been hard at work excavating holes for piers. They also worked on moving a portion of the lumber from the discard pile down to the dumpster. We won't work Wednesday and Thursday but on Friday Jason Ivy and I will be going up to Denton to pick up 1-1/2 palettes of bricks that were donated bo us by Acme Brick today. Thank you Acme brick. We also got a donation of bricks today for Ralph Watterson of The Old Home Supply, so thank you once again Ralph for all of your support. We'll be using the bricks this weekend to complete the entry porch of the theatre entrance.

With the help of the guys from Labor Ready, we nearly finished decking the lower performance deck today. As you can see here, there is only one corner left to go and then we trim off the excess around the edges.

While that was going on, the other guys finished digging out for the concrete piers at each corner of the bandstand and continued digging holes for piers we will need around the main stage and seating areas. They also continued to work on the wood piles which are now all cleaned up and began to clean up in general around the main stage area.

We now have this big pile of junk wood that we need to get dispose of. It would be great if we had a pickup truck with a trailer we could put it all on and take down to the dumpster. If anyone has a trailer and would like to come out to the theatre with it this coming weekend and help us move that pile, that would be much appreciated.

I had a lot of help this weekend so we got a lot accomplished. This is due to the hard work of the gentlemen we hired through Labor Ready. Thanks to James Schell, Harold Rankey, John Verlato, Marvin Boyer, Walter Johnston, Pedro Martinez and Charles Bills for all of your help guys. You did a great job.

Working with these guys was just great. James and Harold are carpenters so the three of us were able to finish framing out the deck of the lower performance platform of the stage and get half of the decking on. We also got the remaining vertical supports on the main stage platform, put up the lower part of the center wall and began figuring out where the remaining concrete piers need to be located to support the upper decks.

The rest of the crew cleaned up almost all of the lumber pile stage left, removing the nails and screws and stacking the lumber so we can use it in the construction. They've also started to dig out the piers for the center wall supports and worked on the piers for the corners of the bandstand. A couple of the guys even began to clean up trash and other items around the stage.

They will all be back out working tomorrow when we we will finish the lower performance deck and continue to add framing to the main stage. Now that the lower performance deck is nearly done, we've established its height and can begin adding in the intermediate levels of the main stage decking.

All we need now is the remaining lumber which we hope to order this week.

Made some good progress today. Began wrapping the existing lower performance deck with 2x12's to create a solid outer perimeter. Then began to create the 2x4 framing for the new performance deck. With the height off the new lower performance deck now established, I extended the decking from the entry to the lower performance deck. Now there is a smooth transition from the entry way to the lower performance deck with no step up like we used to have. Customers in wheel chairs will be able to easily roll into the theatre and will have no difficulty getting to their seating area.

It will take a couple of days to complete the lower performance deck once we get in a new load of lumber. Hopefully we'll have that lumber by the end of this week. With the height of the lower performance deck now established, we can now build the seating areas and the intermediate decks of the main stage.

Julio was out this afternoon helping out, thanks Julio. He moved some of the lumber pile on the stage right side and then helped me carry over 2x6's needed to deck the walkway to the stage.

Worked on several projects today. Here you see the stage left back corner of the bandstand. I filled it in with some 2"x4"'s and then ripped a 4'x8'x3/4" treated plywood sheet in half and nailed it on. This will help stabilize the bandstand against wind sheer. Still need to add 2"x12"x16' boards along the top both in front and in back and then anchor the roof joists to them with hurricane clips.

After that, I need to redo the stairs on the front side and then pour concrete pads at each corner to anchor it to the ground. That should take care of the structural needs. We have to do a little work on the electrical outlets too and then it should be ready to go.

After I finished working on the bandstand, I got back to work on the decking at the entrance to the theatre. I built another frame with treated 2x4's supported by the pea gravel and some concrete blocks and then decked it over.

Here it is with all the decking work done. That's one more project just about complete. Still need to finish the entrance porch so I worked on that next.

We still have a pile of pea gravel that hasn't been spread yet so I loaded up my wheel barrel and poured several loads into the porch area to create a solid base upon which the bricks can be laid. I then hunted around and found some bricks that I appropriated to redefine their purpose in life. Before I lay the bricks, I have to remove the door sills and put some shims under them to bring them up level with the decking. I can then lay in enough pea gravel so the bricks are also level with the entrance sill. It will take about 500 standard size bricks to fill in the porch area. Sooo.....we need bricks and paving stones. I found a few around the property but what I found will only cover about 8 sq feet. If you have any bricks at all, give me a call (817) 994-7111. I don't care what condition, color or size they are. The whole idea is to have a lot of different bricks of different colors and sizes as part of the mosaic. Once the bricks are in position, we'll spread dry concrete mix over them to fill in the cracks and then water the whole thing to lock them in. It should look great and will be a perfect extension to the walkway leading up to the porch.

Moved all of the remaining 2'x8" boards onto the deck stage right to get them close to where they are needed for the stage right expansion. Cleaned up one of the two remaining wood piles stage right. Still have one moderate pile to clean up before stage right expansion can continue. Clean up of that pile will likely take one person about 1 hour to complete.

Still have large piles of lumber to clean up stage left before that expansion can take place.

The photo to the right shows the one remaining wood pile that needs to be cleaned up stage right. This pile is directly where the next stage expansion has to go so it has to be removed before stage right expansion can be completed. It will likely only take one person only about an hour to clean up.

Allen Austin (shown here) came out on Sunday afternoon along with Julio Gallegos and with the three of us working we were able to add two more sections to the main stage at the back of stage right. I was also able to add in 4x4 supports to the back center section every 4 feet (Grover helped me build this section yesterday, see below).

Thanks for the help guys.

There's still a lot more to do and we are running out of 2"x8" boards for the deck framing. We are currently working through a $3000 pile of lumber we bought last year. We are all out of 2"x8"x12' boards and have 8' and 10' boards left with a couple of 16' boards. We also will need several hundred treated 2"x4"x8' boards for walls, hand rails, deck support for the lower deck and walkways, etc.

Grover Coulson came out this afternoon and helped me put in a 12' extension to the main stage off the back center.

Thanks Grover.

Hey folks, here is my design for the new benches to go with the new stage. I built the original a couple of days back and then had Peggy and Diane sit on it and they both thought it was a little too tall (their feet wouldn't touch the ground) and the seat was a little too deep. It felt good to me, but hey, I'm 6'3" tall. Anyway, Julio and I took it apart this morning and shortened it in height and made the seat narrower and this is what we got. It is 10 foot long and very stable (and heavy). We need to build 16 of these to provide the seating stage right and left. the one that will be used for the center stage seating will be a little shorter (9 feet long). We will need 7 of these.

Help us get these built. We are selling the naming rights for each bench for $150.00. Just send a check to the HPT for $150 and designate it for a bench. We'll put a name plate on the bench telling everyone who donated the bench.

Donated by
Your name

or

Donated in Memory of
name of person

I'll soon be adding a link here and on a special donation page that will allow you to make the donation on-line via Tickets to the City so keep checking back.

The main stage now has all additional 2"x8" boards installed to reduce the spacing from 26"-28" down to less than 24" on center. In addition, a number of joints have been strengthened with metal plates as you can see on the facing lower center. The next step will be to add in 4"x4" vertical supports every 4 feet. Once that is done, the main deck can be extended to provide for the new performance and back stage areas. In addition, the vertical supports for the upper decks will be added at this stage so they are attached to cement piers and securely attached to the structure of the main stage.

Another view of the main stage deck, this time from back stage looking from stage right to stage left. The stairs and all of the stage right decks have been removed. Just beyond the framing of the stage you can see one of the piles of lumber that needs to be sorted as to size, the nails removed and the wood stacked neatly away from the construction area. Right now, that pile sits right where the stage left deck extension has to go and that can't happen until the wood pile is moved.

This is a view of the wood pile located stage right. It isn't as big as the pile located stage left, but it is still in the way of extending the stage deck. A lot of this wood will be used in the reconstruction so it needs to be sorted by size and the nails removed.

Got some help today from Grover Coulson and Rob Hood, thanks guys. They were able to remove the entire stage right deck that needs to be redone to fit the new design. Of course, this just generated more wood to sort out but they removed the nails and recovered a number of hangers we'll be able to use in the rebuild.

They are almost done with the removal and I'm able to continue working on the adding of supports to the main stage deck. You can see one of the areas with a big spacing exceeding 24" on center that still needs to be fixed.

Here is the main deck with all of the decking boards removed so that more boards can be added to reduce the gap from 26"-28" down to less than 24" on center. When complete, the separation will be from about 15"-23" on center. In addition, all boards will be supported by hangers and 4"x4" posts located every 4 feet.

The second image shows more of the areas needing additional boards. You can also see areas that have already been fixed.

All of the decking boards have been removed but some of the uprights stage right remain along with stage right decking. All of this has to be removed yet.

The uprights stage right have been removed and in this view you can see that the lower stage right intermediate deck has also been removed.

Here is a view looking from stage left to stage right. As you can see, the framing of the lower intermediate deck is still present on the stage left side, this will need to be removed.

The main stage isn't the only area of construction. Here you can see that the decking at the entrance to the theatre has been removed so it can be replaced. What I'd like to do is get a bunch of bricks donated by people to extend the brick walkway up to and through the main entrance. I would need about 1000 bricks to do what I'd like to do. These bricks can be of any shape and color and the more varied they are the better. If I can't get bricks, then I'll deck it just like the rest of the stage.

Here is another view of the entrance to the theatre. It would look really great if we could lay down bricks like we did for the walkway. If we can't do that, then we'll put down a wooden deck. There is lumber and other debris that needs to be removed to the burn pile.

Here is the back side of the main deck. There are still some decking boards to remove and this little section was made out of a palette so it has to come out altogether.

The second image shows the framing extending the main stage to the right that has to be removed and redone.

Got some help today from Cory Boyd (left and below) and Jason Ivy. Thanks guys. With their help, we began removing the decking boards and stage left decking.

Some of the main decking has been removed and the center wall has been laid down. Still have to remove all of the decking boards to get at the framing to inspect and remediate any problems.

Jason Ivy removing decking boards.

Decking boards have been removed from the stage right intermediate deck revealing some rotting wood that needs to be replaced. In addition, the spacing and vertical supports are not sufficient and would likely not last through our next five years.

Some of the main deck board removed. Still a lot of props on the main deck.