Stage at Talleyrand could be ‘significant asset’ to Bellefonte. When could it open?

A long-planned outdoor performance venue in Talleyrand Park was recently approved by Bellefonte Borough Council, but there are still some steps to take before concerts and other events will be held there.

The Stage at Talleyrand project, which will be located in the Talleyrand Park Annex behind Pelican’s Snoballs, got a conditional green light from the council at its meeting on May 5, pending the drafting and completion of a cooperative agreement between the borough and the project’s development committee.

That agreement is to ensure that the project’s only financial contributor will be the committee, according to Tom Wilson, a development committee member and former Bellefonte mayor.

The committee’s vision has been to create a facility that a variety of local performers can call home. Discussions started before the COVID-19 pandemic, with a fundraising campaign launched in April 2022.

Some elements of the plan have changed since then, and the estimated cost of the project sits between $1.5 to $2 million, although a large chunk of that was covered by a $1 million state Department of Community and Economic Development grant that the development committee received in 2023.

Once the cooperative agreement is executed, and some final architectural, financing and permit matters are resolved, ground can finally break on the project, but it’s unclear when that will be.

“I don’t think I can confidently give a timeline for the project until all of the other housekeeping things are taken care of,” Wilson told the CDT. “If everything happens like we’re hoping it will, work should start on the project before the end of the year.”

Originally, the project’s groundbreaking was set for late 2024, but was held up after the Bellefonte Borough Authority contemplated drilling wells to access the Big Spring’s aquifer — a move that would’ve led to the eventual removal of the spring’s unsightly blue cover.

The authority eventually backed away from that proposal though, meaning that stage talks could resume.

While Talleyrand Park is already the home of the “Summer Sounds from the Gazebo” series, once the stage is completed, even more performances could be held there, including plays, musicals and concerts.

Organizers also have hopes that it would bring in performers from outside the area too.

“I discovered that there are a lot of community bands across Pennsylvania, so what I’d like to try to do is create a community band weekend in Bellefonte, and do that as an annual event — an annual event that we can all be proud of,” Wilson said.

Supporters see the project’s potential to draw more visitors to Bellefonte, economically bolstering the borough’s many small businesses. Kevin Lloyd, the owner of Big Springs Spirits, spoke about its benefits during the council meeting earlier this month.

“This project, I think, would be a significant asset to Bellefonte — not only in and of itself, but also in all of the other things it would bring [to the borough],” he said. “It will bring people to stay at our bed and breakfasts, to eat at our restaurants and hopefully to buy [Big Springs Spirits’] cocktails. ... This is a great opportunity to improve our town.”

For more information on The Stage at Talleyrand project, visit www.stageattalleyrand.org.