OBSERVER Photo by Andrew David Kuczkowski West Main Street in downtown Gowanda for the Hollywood Happening, in front of the faceless Hollywood Theater on Saturday. The festival benefits the theater, which is near completion as the final parts of the work is all things you can 'see' and 'feel,' theater board president Mark Burr said.

GOWANDA – Though the faceless Hollywood Theater was in the midst of its restoration, it shined bright in the center of the Hollywood Happening on Saturday. The weekend-long motorcycle festival, which benefits the theater, brought thousands into the village to attend live music, shop at various vendors and view the update to the Hollywood Theater.

Friday kicked off the event with 230 motorcycles riding from the high hills of Gowanda Harley Davidson to downtown Gowanda. The parking lot behind the businesses on West Main Street was converted to a concert stage venue with carnival-style food and sales vendors circling the area.

“This whole event is an outstanding opportunity for the village to show off our beauty,” Gowanda Mayor David Smith said. “The trees are gorgeous; the natural beauty of the village is showcased here. Whenever we can bring thousands of people into the town for the weekend to celebrate rock and roll and riding (motorcycles), it’s really a fantastic chance for the village to flex our muscles and show our beauty.”

The Hollywood Theater lacked its main marquee over the weekend with unpainted, recently plastered walls inside and concrete as the floor for the main seating. The looks of the theater deceive how much work was accomplished in the last year.

Mark Burr is the president for the Hollywood Theater board and acknowledged the final portion of work is nearing.

Within the next 45 days, the main marquee will return as its roof was dry rotted and needed replacing along with the signage. The plaster fixed the cracks inside the theater and painters are coming this month to beautify the inside. The balcony woodwork is getting finalized and seats for the entire theater will be there within 10 weeks.

“It’s the stuff you can see, it’s the stuff you can feel, it’s the stuff you can touch,” Burr said on the final portions of the work. “… We are hoping to be finished up with this series of grants by the end of the year. In the next couple months, a lot will be done.”

He added that the board is transition from restoration to performance as well.

“What we are beginning to do now is schedule some events in here in the fall,” Burr added. “We got some exciting events to announce here soon. As soon as we got a good feel when the construction work is going to wind down, we will begin some events in the theater.”

Burr sees the Hollywood Theater as a multi-purpose venue that can show plays, movies and concerts.

“All those things, that’s the pieces of the puzzle that’s going to make the theater successful,” Burr added.

Sunday is the final day of the Hollywood Happening and will begin with a bike show at noon. The stunt show will run at 1, 3 and 5:30 p.m. There are many other events such as a cornhole tournament from noon to 4 p.m. and live music at the main stage. The closing ceremonies are at 6:55 p.m. at the main stage in the back parking lot.

This year’s festival also had a new coordinating group that put together the event. Nick Crassi, who holds many hats in Gowanda, is one of the coordinators.

“It’s been a struggle to put it together this year because it’s a new group. We formed late,” Crassi said. “There were a lot of obstacles (like) insurance and road closures and everything to put a major event like this on.”

Mayor Smith thanked Crassi along with Jim Hotnich, Delaney Peters, Wanda Koch and Gable Bros Furniture store for their assistance on putting the event together.

By next year, Burr believes the theater’s interior will be finished. Finally, after over two decades of restoration, the theater will not only be the physical center of the Happening but will also shine bright as a completed work.