The McDonald Carriage House received some much needed TLC on Saturday, June 3, 2006, thanks to approximately 35 generous volunteers. CCAC Board members, Fairview parents, community volunteers, and employees of partners Messer Construction and KZF Design rolled up their sleeves and cleaned out decades’ worth of accumulated debris from inside the Carriage House. Outside, overgrown honeysuckle and other vines and growth were cleared from around the building.

Altogether, two dumpsters full of debris were hauled away from the Carriage House, and the rooms were swept and neatened. Among the most intriguing items to emerge from the Carriage House were some original window sashes from the double-hung windows in the house, and several pieces of a car that somehow made their way up to the second floor!

Contrary to rumors about an entire AMC Rambler residing in the Carriage House, there was not a complete car on the second floor. There was, however, the hood of a Buick, fenders of a Pontiac, and a few tires, all assembled in an improvised fashion, as well as a makeshift wooden stage. Ironically, these finds almost suggest that the Carriage House may have been a secret, unauthorized scene shop or rehearsal space… merely an artistic venue ahead of its time. Happily, now that CCAC’s time has come, this vision will soon be a reality.

CCAC wishes to thank KZF Design for photographing the event, Messer Construction for providing the dumpsters, and the generous neighbors of Wood Avenue for yielding their street to the volunteers and traffic and providing refreshments for the day.