A ribbon-cutting celebration was held for the new Hollywood Pavilion in California, PA on Friday, October 7, 2022. State, county, and local officials attended and spoke about their experiences, excitement, and hopes for the completed project.

The Hollywood Pavilion was kick-started by the Borough of California’s goal to support the revitalization of their downtown by providing a community space where large community and entertainment events could be hosted. The Hollywood Theatre once stood where the new pavilion was built. The Theatre was rumored to be the first air-conditioned theater east of the Mississippi River. Closed and abandoned for decades, the structure of the former theater was demolished in 2014 to make way for the 40’ by 84’ steel pavilion. A unisex restroom was also completed at the site.

RACW’s Community Development Specialist, Kerry Fox, was the Project Manager throughout the entirety of the Hollywood Pavilion project. The engineering firm was HMT & Associates, and the general contractor was MacBracey Corporation. RACW administered and implemented $541,890 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and $173,200 of Local Share Account (LSA) funds to bring the Borough’s vision to life.

For more information regarding the ribbon-cutting event, please click here.

Ribbon cutters from left to right: State Representative Bud Cook, Mayor of California Frank Stetar, President of Council Patsy Alfano, Borough Manager Dr. Richard Martin, Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman, RACW Executive Director Bob Griffin, and RACW Community Development Specialist Kerry Fox