Erie's restored Warner Theatre must be seen to be fully appreciated

If you haven’t visited the Warner Theatre in the past few months, go there soon and tour the place from top to bottom. It will make you proud of Erie and the people responsible for saving and enhancing this magnificent theater.

'A beautiful place': Take a closer look at the renovations of the iconic Warner Theatre

It took nearly three decades and tens of millions to completely restore and upgrade the 92-year-old Warner, but the results are spectacular. I recently toured the theater, from its expanded stage to the rehearsal hall to the dressing rooms, and the artists who perform there do not exaggerate when they rave about the place.

Before Kenny G’s concert there a few months back, he walked around the theater, taking photos on his cell phone. Ed Snyder, the Warner’s assistant director of theatrical facilities, said many of the performers at the Warner ask how a city the size of Erie ever ended up with such a glorious facility.

It seems as if it was only yesterday when Harry Connick Jr. dressed for his Warner Theatre concert on his bus. The New Orleans-born singer said he’d seen the flooded Warner dressing rooms on his previous trip to Erie and vowed never to set foot in them again. I wish he could see them now.

Past Warner administrators showed great foresight by saving original, locally-produced posters that promoted shows by Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis and many others. Now completely restored and expertly framed, they adorn many of the walls throughout the theater.

Erie's showplace: A timeline of the Warner Theatre's history

Barry Copple, the Warner’s general operations manager, typifies many of the people who work there. Now in his 32nd year at the theater, he personally restored dozens of chairs that were used in the dressing rooms. The chairs, which date back six decades, are beautifully restored, adding to the historic ambience of the place.

Incidentally, I understand the mighty Wurlitzer organ, which had been seriously damaged when it short-circuited several months ago, is close to being playable again. It’s another Warner Theatre gem.

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● "Bloodhorse" magazine, considered by many to be the bible of horse racing, features a big story in its current issue about the 2022 Presque Isle Downs Master Stakes. Artie’s Princess, the winner of $400,000 race, which was run on Sept. 19, has been disqualified and the mare’s trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., has been suspended. The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission said Artie’s Princess tested positive for gabapentin (trade name Neurontin). The second-place finisher in the race, Café Society, claimed the winning $240,000 purse, and the rest of the horses moved up a place.

The owners plan to appeal, according to the article.

My question is: what took so long for the drug used by the horse to be determined? It’s a black eye for the PHRC and Erie horse racing.

● WICU-TV gave Brissa Bradfield an emotional sendoff as she departed the station’s early-morning show for the ABC affiliate in Sarasota, Florida. You could tell Bradfield was beloved by her co-workers at the station.

Traci Teudhope, who previously worked on air at WJET-TV and also served as creative services director at WQLN, has filled Bradfield’s spot on the WICU morning show.

● WJET-TV weekend anchor David Belmondo released a statement last week that was posted online about his fight against cancer. He’s a dedicated journalist who has long been respected for his work on local radio and more recently at WJET.

● Mark DiVecchio, former Erie County executive and longtime county councilman, was always a hard worker in public office. When he died March 6 after a long bout with cancer, Mark’s many friends remembered him fondly. He ran a successful restaurant on West Eighth Street for years before entering politics.

More: Mark DiVecchio, former Erie County executive, dies at 64

● Award-winning New York Times columnist David Brooks will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming Jefferson Educational Society’s 15th anniversary celebration June 10. Brooks, a regular analyst on PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” will talk about bipartisan politics and leadership in America.

● A popular website and podcast called “Lost Ballparks” regularly carries photos of famous baseball stadiums that are long gone. A recent entry showed a game between the New York Giants and Boston Braves played on Aug. 9, 1950. Longtime Erie resident Sam Jethroe is at bat at Braves Field in the photo. Jethroe, who spent his final five decades in Erie, was voted National League Rookie of the Year in 1950.

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● Chad Mummert, director of bands at Fairview High School, sends word that the Airmen of Note will give a free concert in the school’s auditorium April 29 at 3 p.m. For free registration, visit usairforceband.com.

The Airmen of Note, a premiere jazz ensemble, are regular performers at the White House and have cut many top-selling albums.

Kevin Cuneo can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie PA's restored Warner Theatre must be seen to be fully appreciated