A special reception – open to the public – will be held Friday, October 15 at the Ellendale Opera House to celebrate the successful completion of O.P.E.R.A.'s latest fund drive.

The celebration will feature the 'live' performance of the "Willow Creek Folk School" from the stage of the opera house auditorium.

The public reception begins at 7 p.m. followed by viewing of the Willow Creek program at 8 p.m. It will be streamed live from the opera house and can be viewed on Facebook. The link to the program can be accessed at: www.facebook.com/plainsfolk.

Tom Isern, a distinguished professor of history at NDSU, and Suzzanne Kelley, NDSU Press Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, began the weekly Willow Creek program more than a year ago when the pandemic began.

Donations to O.P.E.R.A., Inc.’s “Next Step” fund drive now total more than a third of the $50,000 goal. Approximately $8,500 in donations have been received as of June 30. With the dollar-for-dollar match, contributions to date now exceed $17,000.


O.P.E.R.A. kicked off the matching fund-drive in late April to help pay for improvements aimed at increasing business and community use of the historic Ellendale Opera House. The campaign goal is $50,000, with all contributions up to $25,000 matched dollar-for-dollar by anonymous opera house supporters.


THOSE WHO DONATE $250 OR MORE TO THE NEXT STEP FUND-DRIVE BETWEEN NOW AND JULY 31 WILL RECEIVE A CUSTOM-DESIGNED O.P.E.R.A. MUG.

O.P.E.R.A., Inc. today (April 21) kicked off a new matching fund-drive – Next Step – to help pay for improvements aimed at increasing business and community use of the historic Ellendale Opera House.

The campaign goal is $50,000, with all contributions up to $25,000 matched dollar-for- dollar by anonymous opera house supporters.

Those who donate $250 or more to the Next Step fund-drive between now and July 31 will receive a custom-designed O.P.E.R.A. mug.

O.P.E.R.A. began its current "Building Our Future and Preserving Our Past" campaign to raise funds to restore the 1909 opera house in late 2018. In 2019, O.P.E.R.A. raised nearly $80,000 as part of the 80th birthday celebration for long- time opera house advocate Jeanette Robb.

The group raised another $13,000 in donations from the book "Visions from My Childhood" with images created by Ellendale native Kevin Kendall.

Time is running out to join O.P.E.R.A.'s "Back Wall Bunch" with a donation, and receive a handsome (and useful) coffee mug as a reward.

While supplies last, all those donating $150 or more will receive a copy of Kevin Kendall's photo retrospective: Visions from My Childhood. The 20-page book include dozens of photos of people and places in Ellendale from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's.

The Ellendale Opera House is once again participating in Giving Tuesday, December 1.

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, take time to contribute to your favorite non-profit charitable organization by participating in "Giving Tuesday."

We hope you'll consider O.P.E.R.A.'s fund-raising effort to renovate the historic Opera House on Main Street.

CLICK HERE to donate