Known for its seasonal suppers, Winter Farmers Market, famous community fair each September, and Living Sustainably program, Danbury’s historic Grange Hall is home to another remarkable, one-of-a-kind treasure.

A grange not only supported local agriculture, but provided a social and cultural outlet for its community. With the coming of the railroads, entertainment such as singers, musicians, and vaudeville acts became available in many small communities in northern New England.

In the early 1900s, stage drapes were commonly the most important artistic feature in a small town’s cultural life, providing color and escapism as well as a backdrop for locally produced variety shows and social events.

Organized in 1875, Blazing Star Grange’s hall was eventually built in 1911, featuring a large main room for meetings and performances. By 1922, the stage had a full set of three scenic curtains and a grand drape, as well as ears, wings, and teasers.

What makes this set so outstanding is that it was produced by New Hampshire-born Arthur Egbert Foster in his studio in Manchester and probably shipped by train to Danbury, where it was installed permanently.

“Finding an entire set of backdrops, teasers, wings, and flats is rare,” said Chris Hadsel, director of Vermont’s Curtains Without Borders at an initial meeting on October 27 at the Danbury Grange Hall. Although Foster produced other work in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts, only one other curtain, in Deerfield, has been located in the state.

Curtains often included a scene of a town’s local interest. The Grange’s “Country Scene” depicts what is believed to be a view of Mount Kearsarge, while the “Springtime” drape depicts a locally-known home beside a river.

As a complete reversal, the set includes an advertising curtain painted in the 1930s in a bold and structural style, using primary colors, by another artist. Featured on it are the names of businesses in the vicinity of Danbury in a “downtown” street scene, with an airborne blimp painted with another advertisement.

Throughout 2014, the Grange will be hosting informational meetings with the additional purpose of gathering helpers and sponsors for the restoration of these pieces of historical artwork.

The first meeting will be on Saturday, January 4, at 3 PM at the Grange. The hall is located on North Road at the intersection of Routes 104 and 4 in Danbury. For more information, call Donna at 768-5579 or Phyllis at 744-2332. All are welcome.