The bricks and many other tributes are public acknowledgement of the tremendous support the theater has received. Each engraved brick represents a story and a family name. They were purchased for $50 and some with an additional donation to raise funds for the theater.
As hard as this is on our hearts the sidewalk and street project helps the Panida financially. The lack of good storm water drainage and the challenges of winter snow removal have taken a toll on our sidewalk. The thin 2” bricks are breaking down from this and ordinary wear and tear that has been creating a risk to pedestrians. The bricks will be removed in phases but we will capture as many as possible as they come up. They tend to crumble when taken up and some can not be saved. We will have an event after the final brick is up to help those with family names try to keep their family name. We are seeking any stories people would like to share about their brick to add to an archive of memories being created this year. We are asking people to wait for this event and not cause further risk by removing them before this event.
The city of Sandpoint is helping us remember what the bricks signified with a decorative ribbon in the sidewalk celebrating The Panida Theater – Community Supported – Mission Driven. We are raising funds to create a wall plaque with all of the names that were on the bricks. If you would like to contribute to this special cause please mark ‘Bricks’ on your donation. If you have a story to share about your brick you can email it to events@panida.org or an online form will be active soon to capture memories and moments.
