Order Could Silence a Tradition
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Round Hill Facility Must Meet Fire Code to Continue Monthly Concerts
Sunday, March 30, 2008
It's been a monthly ritual for the past five years. On the last Friday night of the month, the Round Hill Arts Center hosts a folk and bluegrass jam session that draws about 200 people to the converted 1880s furniture factory.
The event is the nonprofit center's biggest moneymaker, bringing in about $2,000 a month in donations and food sales.
But last week, a visit by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office put the jam's future in jeopardy. Chief Fire Marshal Keith Brower determined after an inspection Monday that the building has a maximum occupancy of 49 people. Tuesday, three days before the next scheduled music session, Brower told center officials that they would need major improvements to let more people inside.
Photo Gallery
Round Hill Arts Center
Every corner available is utilized for jam sessions at the Round Hill Arts Center, where age and expertise are never a barrier. (Giuliana Nakashima)
It can be a little intimidating at first to join in, but the jam session welcomes all ages and levels of musicians. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Neither cold nor darkness stopped the jam session in the auxiliary tent set up outside the Round Hill Arts Center to accommodate the large crowds and musicians. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Some tidying up and last-minute touches are needed before the doors open. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Eli Apperson, 16, of Lucketts, jams with members of the Loudoun Travelers in the background. (Giuliana Nakashima)
A wide range of musicians come from as far away as North Carolina to participate. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Chief Fire Marshal W. Keith Brower, Jr. (left) talks with Wallace "Wally" D. Johnson about bringing the center up to code. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Hope Hanes, the center's director, pauses from playing the bodhran. (Giuliana Nakashima)
A view of the back of the arts center with one of the tents in the foreground. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Eli Apperson, left, 16, and Melissa Wright, 17, join in the jam. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Wallace D. Johnson (right), the building's owner, talks with Chief Fire Marshal W. Keith Brower, Jr. about some of the adjustments that must be made to allow tonight's jam session. (Giuliana Nakashima)
One of several tents being built to accomodate the large crowds that attend the monthly jam session. The use of the tents were all donated. (Giuliana Nakashima)
The bluegrass jams are a family affair: Walter Kruger, left, with Carolyn Kruger, Wallace D. Johnson and Hope Hanes. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Hope Hanes, left, listens to Chief Fire Marshal W. Keith Brower Jr. explain about the duties of the Fire Watchers. (Giuliana Nakashima)
To accomodate the large turnout of both musicians and spectators, the art studio was used for the Celtic jam session. (Giuliana Nakashima)
People come from all over to participate in the monthly jam sessions. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Every area at the Round Hill Arts center is fair game for a "jam" session. Here Nadine Stotler, foreground, works with Marianne Cornicelli on a piece. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Kelly Criscuolo-Debutts, of Fairfax, joins in during the jam session. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Seamus Wade, 8 , left, and Kayleigh McKenzie, 14, play in the Celtic jam session. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Wallace D. Johnson, who owns the building, observes some of the prep work being done so that the jam session can go on. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Many of the musicians played several different instruments thoughout the evening jam session. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Junior Quesenberry, of Lucketts, plays the fiddle during the jam at the Round Hill Arts Center. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Joy Dix, a member of the Loudoun Travelers, was at the bluegrass jam Friday night. (Giuliana Nakashima)
Organizers scrambled to make changes so they would not have to cancel Friday's show. They closed the second story of the building and removed doors that did not comply with fire regulations. Several tents were donated and set up in the back yard to accommodate the overflow crowd.
These were only temporary solutions, Brower said. To continue hosting the monthly jam, center officials will have to work with county building officials to bring the structure up to code. No one is sure how long that process will take, but the onset of warmer weather gives the center time to sort things out. The musicians and audience usually move outside in the late spring, summer and early fall.
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After its days as a furniture factory, the two-story building on West Loudoun Street was an elementary school and then home to a succession of small businesses. Wally Johnson, 63, the building's owner, opened a woodworking business with a partner at the site in 1985. In 2001, he handed the building over to his daughter, Hope Hanes, the art center's founding director.
Brower, who declined to say what triggered his inspection last week, said the building was never retrofitted to handle crowds. He said that with scores of people packing into the center for the Friday night music, safety is a major concern.
Audio Clips
- Junior Quesenberry, a fiddler, talks about the history of the jam
- Junior's wife, Louise, on why she attends the jamboree
- The musicians tune up and chat before they jam
- Joy Dix sings while the banjo plays
- Joy Dix and other musicians talk about the jam
- An instrumental piece
- Hope Hanes, Wes Eastridge and Kelly Cricuolo-Debutts perform with Seamus Wade, 8, and Kayleigh McKenzie, 14
- Carolyn Kruger and Hope Hanes talk about the arts center
- Melissa Wright, 17, grew up nearby
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"We've had a number of fires in the United States in places that were being used with inadequate fire suppression, and hundreds of people have been killed," Brower said. "As much as I like the arts center and think it's a great thing for the community, the excitement would be 100 times the other way if we had a fire there."
Johnson said an architect familiar with county building codes has been retained by the arts center. Plans are being drafted for review by county officials in coming weeks. He said the changes will include the addition of firewalls, doors that swing out rather than in, a sprinkler system and a new staircase, among other improvements. The total cost could be $50,000 to $100,000, he said.
To cover some costs, the center will seek community donations.
Given the jam session's popularity and the money it raises, organizers said the last thing they want to do is turn people away.
"This is one of the few venues where people can come and learn new tunes and get to know other musicians," Hanes said. "If we were not able to have it, we would be crippled as an organization."
Tagged: arts, entertainment, Loudoun County Fire/Rescue, Round Hill
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Keep people safe and deprive them of the joy of living. Can't the bureaucracy operate any more realistically? This activity has been around for 5 years, and NOW it should shut down?
Give them some time to solve the problem, and quit be so all fired officious!
Posted by LoudounPatriot (anonymous) on December 3, 2008 at 12:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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