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GLBPA Gala -- A Celebration of the River Region GLBPA pays tribute to Artpark, Sandra J. Maslen by Sandy
Hays-Mies, Executive Director, GLBPA
As part of its recognition of area business and community members for this year's Celebration of Greater Lewiston Gala, Sunday June 6 at the Niagara Falls Country Club, the GLBPA continues its profiles on the 2004 honorees. In today's Sentinel, GLPBA pays special tribute to a facility that has become major part of our life on the Lewiston scene as well as a significant individual, who both have made major contributions to the quality of life in our area. Happy 30th, Artpark In just six weeks, Artpark will celebrate its 30th birthday. During the three decades of its existence, Artpark has become not only a premiere performing and visual arts center, but also an economic engine for the businesses in our area. Theater and park patrons flock to Lewiston during the summer months and provide an influx of business for our shops and restaurants. Artpark has played a major role in putting Lewiston on the map. In the early 1960s the New York State Legislature was actively advancing the development of area historic sites as tourist attractions. The then Senate Majority leader, Earl W. Brydges Sr., was instrumental in securing state funding for this project. To acknowledge Sen. Brydges' devotion to Artpark and the great effort he expended in bringing the Artpark idea to fruition, the park was formally dedicated in his honor in 1976. Today, we are very proud to have Earl W. Brydges Jr. as an active board member of the GLBPA and one of our most prominent members. Over the years, state appropriations for arts and cultural organizations have diminished considerably. In 1997, Artpark and Company Inc. entered into a licensing agreement with the state of New York to manage the programming of the park though 2007 and hopefully beyond. Artpark and Company along with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation continue to work in partnership in an effort to safeguard the future of Artpark as a performing and visual arts complex. Shining Jewel We would be remiss in not pointing out that it has been the leadership of the Artpark board of directors and its staff, lead by Executive Director George Osborne, that has enabled Artpark to emerge as a financially sound, shining jewel of our community. Please join us in celebrating Artpark's presence in our community. The 2004 anniversary season is perhaps one of the best on record. It includes a pair of legendary Broadway Musicals, a quartet of big bands, artists-in-residence, exceptional family programming, a summer-long free concert series featuring national acts and a summer resident by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Don't miss a special concert, complete with fireworks on Sunday July 25, when Artpark commemorates three decades of excellence and service to our community. It officially opened on July 25, 1974 along the majestic Niagara River Gorge. The 2,300 seat theater was completed in 1973 and has served as a platform for an impressive list of performing artists who have graced its stage. Some of the more recognizable names include, Ethel Merman, County Basie, Miles Davis, Gordon Lightfoot, Ray Charles, Mel Torme, Don McClean, Bonnie Raitt and Natalie Cole. Artpark is unique among arts facilities and parks throughout the country. They provide arts education and program to develop the talents of visual and performing artists and concert events that provide entertainment as well as cultural enrichment. We wish them every success. Happy Birthday from all of us in Greater Lewiston. Sandra Jo Maslen
Sandra Jo Maslen has served the Lewiston community in many capacities, although she is best known for the terms that she served as the first female supervisor in the Town of Lewiston. While in office, she was in fact the only female supervisor serving Niagara County. If you look deeper, you'll find that her career as our supervisor just scratches the surface of this bright and kind and sometimes feisty lady. Her interest in politics was inspired at the tender age of 16 when the late Sen. Earl W. Brydges Sr. sponsored her in a mock State Legislative Session in Albany. She and others Niagara Falls notables, including attorney Angelo Massaro, spent the weekend at the Capitol working a bill through committees right through to the Senate Floor. She had a found a hero in the senate majority leader and followed his career with interest, although a political career for herself wasn't considered until many years later. The experience that she gained at the then Marine Midland Bank, employed by Manpower and at NCCC's School to Work Program instilled in her the fire and the skills that got her first elected to office in 1994. Numerous Successes As far as her political career is concerned, she is most proud of her efforts and success in putting the town's financial future on solid ground, her diligence in actively serving on the New York Power Authority's Relicensing Committee and her ability to seize opportunities for Lewiston as they presented themselves. In addition to her legislative work for the town and village, Sandy is very active in her church and its choir. She is a longtime member of the Lewiston Service Guild and a past president of the Lewiston Business and Professional Women's Association where she served as the district director of Western New York and went on to chair the Status of Women Committee. She is an ambassador of the GLBPA and the Art Council and always advocates supporting the local businesses. Her years of performing in Little Theater Productions prepared her for the drama that sometimes was played out at Lewiston Town Hall. She has also enjoyed performing in the Lewiston Art Council's Marble Orchard where in one of her leading roles she played the wife of Lewiston's first town supervisor. She and her husband Dave are the parents of six children and six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She is also the mother of the late Kenneth Mort. |
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