J
ohn Gdula remembers visiting the Lamp
Theatre to watch Saturday matinees and then
to Islay’s for ice cream, like it was yesterday.
This fond childhood memory has inspired
him to join existing efforts of the Irwin
Project—a nonprofit organization that helps
identify economic opportunities for the Irwin
area—and he’s been hooked on making Irwin the best town
it can be ever since.
Gdula and his wife of 30 years, Rhonda, have three
daughters—Rachel, Katlyn and Chelsea. He graduated
from The University of Pittsburgh with degrees in
Economics and Psychology. After living in the Washington
DC, and the Harrisburg areas for 10 years, the family moved
to Greensburg and has been there since. A chance to take
over an existing Irwin business became available several
years ago, and Gdula jumped at the opportunity to be a part
of his childhood town again.
“When I became involved with the Irwin Project, we had
identified that the reopening of Lamp Theatre could be a
vital component for the quality of life and economic growth
of our community,” says Gdula. A grass root effort was
formed to “relight” the Lamp. However, after considerable
effort, the group was informed the project would be too
costly to complete.
A few of us continued to meet and formed an action plan
to try again,” says Gdula. “A number of key individuals
joined us and, after one of the most impressive community
efforts I’ve been a part of, we pushed through various
hurdles and re-opened The Lamp.”
For the next few years, Gdula and members of the
Lamp Theatre Corporation realized success beyond their
expectations. Last year, The Lamp entertained more than
20,000 patrons. Involving all demographics—from puppet
shows and tribute bands to musical theatre productions—
The Lamp brought in various national acts such as the
Marshall Tucker Band, The Outlaws and even Grammy
award-winning artist, Scott Stapp, formally from Creed. The
Lamp continues to have music, theatrical and movie events.
“Now that we’ve been open for a few years, we realized we
needed more space for a concession area,” explains Gdula.
The group was given the land next to the theatre years after
the Irwin Hotel was raised after a fire. “We felt that this
“I am just one of many people
who have given their time to
this great cause—to keep our
community viable. Through an
entertainment venue like this, we
can maintain a robust downtown
district that will continue to
enhance the quality of life for all
of us and future generations to
appreciate.”
project was worth undertaking, as it would allow us to
have the space for concessions and provide some much
needed outdoor entertainment space.”
Earlier this year, a board member noticed a local
diner for sale, which had a large space for outdoor
entertainment space. “After some negotiations we found
ourselves owning the diner and we set it on a concrete pad
in our courtyard,” says Gdula.
The community came together and, once again, the
project started with a fundraising effort. Local residents
Casey and Cheryl Harper stepped up to donate money
so the group could work on the rehabilitation of the old
diner. The couple’s generous donation provided most of
the funds to plan and create the patio/courtyard, which
will become The Lamp’s Courtyard and Diner experience.
Completion of the latest Lamp Project is scheduled for
September. n
NORWIN ❘ FALL 2018
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