BELLE FOURCHE—Members and supporters of the Belle Fourche Area Community Theater (BFACT) joined together to learn about the organization and celebrate their 2025 season accomplishments at the Annual Meeting on January 24 at the Branding Iron Steakhouse.
Beginning at 2 p.m. everyone gathered for social hour where food and snacks along with drinks were served. As people enjoyed food and drink, they were invited to interact with the Board of Directors and ask them any questions they may have about BFACT.
Following the social time, everyone present was asked to take a seat so the President, Nathan Schreier, could call the meeting to order. After doing so, Schreier gave his report. He discussed the accomplishments of the 15th year of BFACT which included the creation of a strategic plan for the organization. Implementation of the plan will be the next project for the upcoming year.
One of the areas that Schreier intends to focus on moving forward is better record keeping of volunteer engagement. He said he has a “commitment to growth” in the new year and maintaining a “growing volunteer base is a goal.”
Schreier commented on one of the main shows, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was a success this past year as the show broke the audience attendance records twice in a row. There was a record number of volunteers for this show, seeing 70 people step up, help out and get involved.
One of the ways to encourage public involvement is through a series of BFACT Social Hours. Katie Anderson, Member-At-Large and Chair of the Volunteer Committee, included in her report that the social hours are “to encourage communication between board members and members of the community through board games, karaoke, trivia and other various activities.” The Social Hours will continue in 2026 and will be held on the second Saturday of each month. The first one in the new year is scheduled for February.
Board Member-At-Large and Chair of the Public Relations Committee, Mike Meemken, informed the attendees that in the year 2025 “we made a focused effort to expand our public relations and outreach more than before.” This was accomplished through strengthened relationships with the Belle Fourche Chamber and BFACT informational booths at various events around the area.
He shared that a highlight of the year was when the City of Belle Fourche declared June 28, 2025 Performing Arts Day. The day happened to be the same day as a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory performance.
Growing social media presence and increasing engagement was successful this year. Total views were 403,080, up from 39,070 the previous year.
The Secretary’s Report was given by Heather Pittman, a founding member of BFACT and active for the past 15 years. She informed everyone that the Board did meet every month as provided for in the bylaws. All meeting minutes are available for members as well as the public to inspect at any time.
Treasurer Kelsey Gronlund reported that revenue was down but BFACT was able to weather the loss because of several good years. 2025 revenue included ticket sales, $12,978.15; grants, $9,500; sponsorships, $7,000; individual contributions, $6,054.57; misc., $618.06; membership donations, $567.48; and business contributions, $267.
Executive Director Derek Olson discussed the shows that BFACT held over the past year. They had four stage shows, Is He Dead?, Atomic Lobsters from the Center of the Earth, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Beauty and the Beast. The year 2025 saw the largest turnout of volunteers to date. Over 105 volunteers participated and over 1,300 tickets to performances were sold.
The upcoming year, 2026, has four main stage shows scheduled once again. There will be many different workshops, a volunteer gala and a kids’ camp.
The last order of business for the annual meeting was the election of board members for three open seats. All seats are two-year positions. Up for election were the Vice President, Treasurer and one Member-At-Large. Next elections will be in 2027 for the other four seats, President, Secretary and two Members-At-Large.
In order to vote in the election, you had to have a paid membership. The memberships cost $25 and runs yearly from January 1. You have to be over the age of 18 to join.
Two board positions only had one person nominated, so they were appointed with no vote. Nathan Thompson was re-elected as Vice President and Kelsey Gronlund was re-elected as Treasurer.
There were two nominees for the Member-At-Large position. Arianna Scherer was elected with the biggest number of votes ever cast for a board election according to Olson.
The Volunteer Gala is scheduled for February 21. It is a night to celebrate the volunteers. Planning is still underway, so watch for further details to become available.
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