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The Arts
 Back row, from left: Lynn Bourque, Eric Davidson (Loos Center), Tom Borner (Putnam Area Foundation); Brandy Hapgood (Centreville Bank), Betty Hale and Elizabeth Lake. Children, who attended the Charlotte’s Web performance: Lilly and Jacoby Wallace, Sullivan, Amelia, and Alister Barrette, and Quil, Oakley, Atlas, and Vynn Renaud. Photo by Jim Goodwin.

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Community grants support the Three C’s successful season
The Community Cultural Committee (The Three C’s), recently completed its 37th season with the St. Luke Steel Band concert and credits the year’s success to the generosity of several key donors as well as their hard-working group of volunteers.
Tom Borner has been a long-time supporter of the arts in northeastern Connecticut, formerly as president of the Putnam Bank and now as president of Putnam Area Foundation, LLC.  This year, the foundation donated $3,000 to the Three C’s. The non-profit was also recognized by Centreville Bank with a $500 donation and Pomfret Proprietors with a $750 donation. “Without the support of these community leaders, we would be unable to fulfill our mission to provide professional theater productions for local students,” said Lynn Bourque, the Three C’s treasurer and grant writer.
These donations allowed the Three C’s to host three performances at the Loos Center for the Arts in Woodstock with two performances of Charlotte’s Web and one of Cat Kid Comic Club, both musicals based on popular books, and performed by TheaterworksUSA.
“The energy of the students this year was contagious,” long-time board-member Elizabeth Lake said. “Before the shows, kids were bouncing in their seats with excitement and during the shows, they started clapping along, truly resonating with the music. It was fabulous to experience. Their energy filled the theater.”
“We work hard to keep our performances affordable for everyone,” said founder and Three C’s President Betty Hale. “Other venues charge $15 to $20 for the shows that we charge only $4 for school children to attend.” Hale also arranged for Three C’s shows to be eligible for the Wheels to Learning Grant, which provides money to public schools in Windham County to cover the cost of bus transportation to a specific list of field trip sites. “All children should have access to the arts.”
The Three C’s, an off-shoot of Performing Arts of NECT, began in 1987. In its 37 seasons, more than 215,000 students have been able to take advantage of its programs. In the past decade, in addition to traditional plays and musicals based on books, the group has offered free performances to the public (in collaboration with PA NECT) and some nontraditional performances included special puppetry and a memorable show featuring the science of bubbles. “We work hard to find performances that support school curriculums and that are both interesting and educational for the students,” Hale said. “Many of our performances have study guides that teachers can download and use to prepare their students for the show.”
The Three C’s performances are relevant to elementary school grades, typically up to fifth grade, and all local schools and homeschooling families are invited. Visit the website at www.thethreecs.org later this summer for more information about the 2024-2025 season.

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