WELLSVILLE - Following weeks of anticipation the Wellsville Creative Arts Center will open its doors from 9am to 6pm Saturday.

Steve Havey, executive director of the Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce, is looking forward to the event. "I think the new center is going to be great," Havey said. "It will draw folks downtown who may not have been coming downtown, and I think it will enhance the events we already have downtown. I don't think anyone realizes how big this is going to be. It will bloom like a flower."

Wellsville Mayor Bradley Thompson is equally excited. I'm always pleased to see a new entity on Main Street," Thompson said. "Mr. and Mrs. Glanzman have put a tremendous amount of money into the building, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the inside looks like. I think it will be an asset to downtown."

According to Marshall Green, executive director of the Wellsville Creative Arts Center, which grew out of the former Carter Hardware building, the grand opening will be a lively event. It will be a chance for people to see what's happened to the old building and to become acquainted with what the center has to offer, he said.

"There will be tours and hands-on interactive demonstrations by the teachers who are going to be offering programs, so people will really be able to get a feel for the classes, and they can sign up right then if they want,"he said.

Scheduled to appear at the event are instructors Deborah Rush, Rick Minard, Robert Lake, Delaney Persons and Marcia Van Vlack.

There also will be information on one-day workshops. So far, drumming and basket weaving workshops have been added to the schedule.

Also inside, Diane Chandler will be in the kitchen making and serving soup. Later in the month Chandler will be offering an Italian cooking class. She is excited about having a facility that will offer this kind of opportunity. "I'm really looking forward to this," Chandler said. "It's going to be fun."

Outside Saturday there will be radio broadcasts on the sidewalk in front of the Main Street building. "It's going to be a great time," Green said. "Everyone involved in the center is excited."

The building has been renovated from the ground up to the second floor where the center's office is located. The basement has been renovated to be used for classes in ceramics and pot throwing. It also will house an art supply store that will be open on a limited basis.

The first floor has been opened up. The pressed tin ceiling was restores and hangs above a 140-200 seat theater/banquet facility. The north side of the building was stripped to the brick wall, and the tin ceiling there was also restored and painted. It will serve as the studio for painting and drawing classes. A state-of-the-art kitchen has been installed in the rear of the first floor.

By the end of the month Green said there will be a coffeehouse open in the front of the building. "It will be a nice place for people to come to at night when there isn't anything else open on Main Street," Green said.

Green also scheduled professional performers to play in the theater and hopes to bring local musicians in on a frequent basis. A complete list of the classes starting Sept. 25 may be found at www.wellsvillecreativeartscenter.com.