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Hyrum votes for food and fun to make the Elite the place to meet By
Jamie Baer
HYRUM -- A proposal was passed at Thursday night's City Council meeting that promises to bring food and regularly scheduled community events to Main Street's Elite Hall. With the renovation and reconstruction of Main Street, the question was asked: Should Elite Hall be preserved, and if so, what for? Dick Bartlett presented his ideas about what the dance hall should be used for and the City Council was enthusiastic. Currently the hall is used for the occasional high school dance, dance classes, and can also be rented out for church activities such as basketball. Bartlett's idea is to retain these events, but to also add some new ones and to make things more regular. Bartlett's proposal included regular Saturday night dances, including country dancing and swing dancing; monthly Mexican fiestas to bring the Hispanic and Anglo communities together; holiday and theme dance nights; plays; and periodic dinner/dance nights. There will still be opportunities to rent Elite Hall for things such as Family Home Evening, other church activities, and fund raisers. Since food has never been allowed inside the dance hall, that was another thing to consider. Bartlett argued that not allowing food inside for these events would be like "taking popcorn away from the movies." Several Council members were still opposed to the idea, but together, Bartlett and Mayor Gordon Olson convinced them to change their minds. "Why have people come out and not have any fun?" said Olson. The city will soon be seeking employees for the new events, such as waiters and waitresses, janitors, maintenance, vendors, entertainers, and security, meaning the new Elite Hall could take until next year to be ready. There is some repairs still to be done to the inside of the hall, including a finish to the new balcony area. There will be a lot of changes done to the hall. Bartlett wants "whatever enters there to match (the name)," meaning everything will have a very "elite" feel, including bow ties for the waiters, and even some events serving sparkling cider in plastic wine glasses. Another idea presented to the Council was to have a different food item every night, such as pizza, subs or prime rib. The hall will also serve things such as candy, snacks and soft drinks every night. A big question is whether the city will be able to afford it. Paying a large number of employees will be expensive, as will the advertising and the maintenance of the building, but Bartlett thinks it's a "program that should sustain itself." At the beginning will be a lot of experimenting, but the council all agreed that they would give it a try and do the best they can. The proposed plan is to have all vendors and entertainers hired by June and a concrete schedule planned soon after that for a whole year's worth of activities. However, the weekdays should always be open for families or wards to reserve the hall for private activities, or fund raisers and charities.
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