Southern Tier Tuesdays: Community Cultural Center of the Sidney Arts & Cultural Exchange Group awarded $2,000 grant

SIDNEY, N.Y. (WBNG) -- Community Cultural Center of the Sidney Arts & Cultural Exchange Group is this week’s winner of a $2,000 grant from Upstate Shredding through Southern Tier Tuesdays.

Community Cultural Center is a non-profit organization located in Sidney, N.Y. that offers arts & entertainment to the community. Organization President Teri Schunk said the center was once a Congregational Church in downtown Sidney.

“It’s a beautiful building it’s the anchor of our community right on Main Street,” Schunk said. “Over the years, the parishioners have slowly diminished and it basically went out of business, and because it’s such an icon in our community this building was offered up to a bunch of community members to do what we wanted.”

Schunk said she formed a Board and decided to make the space a community cultural center.

“We don’t have really anything like that in our area,” Schunk said. “We weren’t sure what we wanted to do and we still are throwing our darts at the board to see what sticks.”

Schunk noted the community cultural center is currently focused on arts, theater and bringing events to the community.

“We partner with the Tri-Town Theatre group so in the church area we’ve built a new theater, a new stage, we’ve worked on sound, lighting and we’ve had seats donated and we have plays and productions,” Schunk said.

Community Cultural Center will host Life is a Cabaret presented by Half Light Theater on March 12 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $20.

Schunk said the grant money will be used to fund children’s events and activities.

Southern Tier Tuesdays is a philanthropic endeavor of Adam Weitsman, owner of Upstate Shredding, and his daughter, Clover. For more information or to nominate a Southern Tier non-profit go to southerntiertuesdays.com.