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Family ties back to 1929 inspire this volunteer's passion for the Capitol Centre

'The Capitol always held a special place in the Palangio Family. My father Tom Palangio was one of the group of first ushers who worked at the opening night of The Capitol Theatre on June 1st, 1929'
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Rob Palangio gives back to the Capitol Centre, serving as it's volunteer President of the Board of Directors.

Rob Palangio began serving as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors in 2006. However, his family's connecting to our performing arts centre goes back much further than that.

"The Capitol always held a special place in the Palangio Family.  My father Tom Palangio was one of the group of first ushers who worked at the opening night of The Capitol Theatre on June 1st, 1929.  As a youngster, I had spent many a Saturday attending movies as well as participating in some on-stage performances during my choral years.  Once on the Board, it didn't take me long to renew my passion for the place," he explains.

Palangio's helped support the Centre - and the arts in general - in a variety of ways.

"I was approached by Michael Gauthier, then Chair of the Board.  They needed someone with HR experience and that, combined with my financial background and connections to the Arts Community made me a good fit.  I was also Treasurer for the North Bay Symphony Society at the time.  The Capitol Centre is the home for the NBSO so that was another good connection. Twelve years later I was appointed to the position of President in June 2018."

Palangio believes the Capitol Centre's role in the community is thanks to a combination of hardworking staff and dedicated & passionate volunteers.

"When I first joined the Board, I was blown away at what the staff had to do, how they did what they did with limited resources at hand and the passion and commitment with which they did their work.  Working at a facility like this is not a nine to five job. So much goes on in preparation behind the scenes involving a lot of late-night hours.  Such is the world of arts and entertainment.  Without our 70 volunteers, The Capitol would not be able to function as well as it does and we certainly wouldn't be where we are today without them.   If one could refer to the staff as the 'steak a€nd potatoes' on the menu, the volunteers would be the 'gravy'  that tops it off," he adds.

If you're interested in getting involved, you can start by picking up your phone, according to Palangio. "We are always looking for good people from the community who would like to show an interest in what we do...whether it means sitting on our Board of Directors, volunteering as ushers and in fundraising, or any other special talent or resource that they could bring to the table.  Just contact our Executive Director Katina Connolly at 705-474-1944," he says.

Some of the upcoming shows at the Capitol Centre include The North Bay Symphony's "Comic Orchestra" in February, Rocker Kim Mitchell and the Masters of Illusion are both slated for March, and "Just For Laughs" The Roadshow Tour happens in April.