Just 87 people call the Fulton County village of Ellisville home, according to the last U.S. Census. But this tiny community brags of a big asset: a historic opera house.
The opera house was built in 1891, during the halcyon narrow-gauge railroad days of the village. But Paula Helle said when the railroad went bust, so did Ellisville.
"I remember one time back 20 years ago, I tried to get a home improvement loan, and it got turned down. And it was like a small amount. And I pretty much had the place paid for and the guy was like, 'I don't understand why this didn't go through. Do you live in the place that time forgot?' I'm like, 'Yeah, I do. That's probably part of it,'" she said.
Helle is a member of the Historic Ellisville Restoration Organization. The group was formed to bring the derelict old opera house back up to snuff.
Restoring the building to its former glory requires a lot of work - and money. Small grants brought in artists to perform in the 1990s. In the early 2000s, Helle said a small school play production packed the opera house to capacity. People lingered and continued to chat after the show wrapped up.
"That's when this light bulb went off for me. And I knew that people were hungry to visit to be in communion with each other, and to just be a community," she said.
That's when the Spoon River Rascals were formed. The west-central Illinois youth theater troupe draws its members from Fulton County and its surrounding counties. The group's events helped raise the money to install air conditioning, heating, new windows, and indoor plumbing into the opera house.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the kids and the community began a major renovation project while productions were on hold. Helle said the space got a "huge facelift," including wall stenciling, new doors, and a new grand drape purchased at an auction for $40. H.E.R.O. also spent the past three years raising money for an elevator for the building to provide access to the second-floor auditorium.
The opera house's first floor still needs some work, however. That's where Illinois Humanities comes in. The nonprofit organization is reinvesting in cultural assets in rural areas of the state via a new grant program, the Foreground Rural Initiative.
"It was clear to a lot of staff and a lot of people that we work with in our humanities that we need to do more in terms of covering our state. And then also in terms of working with rural and small town communities in Illinois," said Fairouz AbuGhazaleh, director of statewide programs at Illinois Humanities.
A 2017 analysis by the nonprofit group Forefront found Cook County benefits from 78% of available grant dollars in the state, and receives 71% of total grant awards. The Foreground Rural Initiative is an effort to spread dollars for the arts and humanities outside the Chicago area.
"We got the money through an anonymous donor who saw that this is an important opportunity, and that there's a need in that area," said AbuGhazaleh. "And through that, we were able to start this multi year program that is focused (not only) on grants, but also on community building, on connecting communities together, on co-creating programs and offering capacity building and skill sharing opportunities."
Helle said the Illinois Humanities grant will help create a space downstairs for artisans to set up a mercantile on a permanent basis. She said the building can only remain viable if it's in regular use.
"It is a magical thing, too, that generations and community come together in such a way. So just to know that we're not alone, in our little corner, that there is an organization out there willing to help us alongside of us is huge." she said.
Grants of between $5,000 to $10,000 were distributed to 27 organizations and individuals around the state this year, including the nonprofit Fulton County Arts based in Canton. A total of $250,000 was given out during the first year of the multi-year initiative, AbuGhazaleh said.
Helle said she's thankful Ellisville still has its opera house. Since the building's establishment, performers have traditionally signed their names on the back wall after completing a show.
"These kids, when they sign their name after completing a show, I can't tell you how proud they are. And now that the older ones are starting to have their kids be in these shows, they're coming back. 'Look, that's when I was in there!' and I love that they realize they are a part of history," Helle said. "And so we take it and make it better because we know we are a part of history. And so that's what keeps me going, and I think a lot of people around here, too."
