by Kay Kessler • Special to The Current
It started as a wistful late-night idea nearly 20 years ago while sitting on a front porch stoop.
Today, the revitalized Mauch Chunk Opera House has grown into one of the region’s top music venues and one of Jim Thorpe’s biggest attractions, drawing hundreds of fans into town every weekend.
But for Dan Hugos, the founder of JTAMS with business partner Vincent DeGiosio, the company that produces shows at the opera house, it’s the final curtain. After 19 years, he sold his shares of the company to DeGiosio, and has retired. “I’ve recently been diagnosed with a neurological disease, so maintaining my health has been the number one priority for me. It’s been bittersweet, for sure,” he said.
And what a great run it’s been. But how did it all start?
Hugos continued, “I discovered Jim Thorpe in 1998 on a weekend trip and bought a house on Race Street. In 2002, I bought a house on opera house square. I was a database programmer during the week in New York, but was coming here on the weekends to ride my bike and do my photography. I opened a photography gallery, Dakota Ridge, in the bottom floor of the house, with big windows overlooking the opera house.”
“I spent hours staring at the neglected opera house with its leaky roof and peeling paint. I watched PVC downspouts dumping water back onto the sides of the building when it rained. It was just sad. There wasn’t much happening there, except the occasional play. Back then, Jim Thorpe’s downtown night life scene was pretty quiet.”
Late at night, after one of his gallery exhibition receptions, Dan and his neighbor, Vince, whom he hired to play music during the event, sat on the front house steps and pondered why the building was so neglected. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring regular music back into the opera house?” they wondered. An idea was hatched.
They quickly organized a concert, a Simon & Garfunkel tribute featuring Bethlehem singer-songwriters, AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle. Less than 30 people came to the show.
Undeterred, they kept booking bands. A year later, over 200 people attended the same Simon & Garfunkel show, as the venue’s reputation started to grow. Hugos incorporated JTAMS, their production company, and, in 2011, managed to obtain a long-term lease from the Mauch Chunk Historical Society, the building’s owner, to host regular concerts at the venue.
As the opera house concerts expanded, Hugos continued to travel from NYC on weekends while managing the business. In 2005, he took the leap and moved to Jim Thorpe full time, keeping things afloat financially by working as a database programmer for PA companies like Air Products, PPL, Carpenter Steel, CompAid, and DEKA Battery. “I was working full-time, non-stop, 7 days a week, but it was the only way to keep the opera house going,” he said.
The opera house, built in 1881, needed constant restoration and renovation. Hugos spearheaded multiple capital improvement projects through the years. After receiving a grant from Senator Santorum’s office, they replaced the original 128-year-old standing seam metal roof, which leaked like a sieve. “In the early days, we had to tape off seats, so people didn’t sit and get a wet behind after it rained,” Hugos said.
Old seats were removed and new ones installed, thanks to the hardworking Kirk Jacobsen of Great Eastern Seating in Breinigsville, who donated his time and expertise. There were carpet replacement projects, exterior painting, backstage renovations, and building maintenance. “It’s not all rock and roll. Sometimes it’s a lot of snow shoveling and toilet plunging,” Hugos said.
Hugos’ main responsibilities were marketing, ticketing (he designed and programmed the first ticketing system) and managing the box office at every show since 2012. Hugos also booked bands along with DeGiosio and coordinated the team of volunteers.
Eager to get involved promoting the venue and the town, Hugos became the president of the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency. During his 8-year tenure, he coordinated the Fall Foliage Festival, re-imagined the previously lifeless WinterFest and was instrumental in bringing live music to the streets to pull people out of the park to explore the rest of town and partake in local businesses and restaurants, and ultimately, venture up the street to the opera house. He also managed the JimThorpe.org web site and partnered with WDIY to promote Jim Thorpe at Bethlehem’s MusikFest.
Hugos said, “This was always about promoting the town, too — showing people that they didn’t need to travel far to enjoy an evening or a weekend in one of the best little towns in America with world-class music, a nice meal or a bike ride along the trail.”
It certainly does take a village, or rather, a town. “The opera house wouldn’t be what is it today without the generous support of so many people and businesses here in town who helped keep things afloat when times were tough,” he said. “I am grateful for their help.”
So, did Hugos, trained as a computer programmer with a master’s in telecommunications, ever think he’d be running an opera house?
“I’ve been going to concerts since I was a teen in New York. My first concert was Mountain and T. Rex at the Fillmore East. Mahavishnu Orchestra at Central Park’s Wollman Rink was life-changing. I saw scrawny Bruce Springsteen at my sister’s college gym in ’75. Allman Bros, the Dead and Little Feat… and hundreds of other bands since then. Concerts were definitely a passion. But I never imagined myself running a venue someday.”
“It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I’d spent 20 years in Boulder Colorado. Out west, a venue like this would have been snapped up immediately by a gazillionaire. But here it was, sitting quietly across the street from my house.”
The past 19 years have been filled with seminal moments for Hugos. But what were his favorite memories?
“It was a thrill to host the incredible Billy Cobham, who had drummed for Miles Davis. He was here three times,” Hugos said. “I’ve been a big fan since I saw him with the Mahavishnu Orchestra at Wollman Rink in Central Park in 1973 (which became the incendiary live album, Between Nothingness and Eternity). Billy flew in from his home in Switzerland to play here. After one show, Brad Konstas and I shuttled Billy’s equipment to the famous Blue Note in NYC for his next gig in Brad’s van. We received VIP treatment at the Blue Note, saw Cobham’s show that night and drove back to Jim Thorpe. What a night.”
“Then there was a Wailin’ Jennys show, when the power went out all over town just when they took the stage. A few moments of panic ensued, but they were pros. They stepped forward and sang a few songs acapella. Then the lights went back on. Everyone had goosebumps.”
“And of course, Richie Havens. He was one of our first shows and performed here three times. What a guy. I introduced him on stage that night. He walked past me onstage, then spun around to hug me unexpectedly before he started to play.”
Last month, the opera house volunteers and the Mauch Chunk Historical Society threw a big surprise retirement for Hugos last month at Memorial Park.
“The volunteers are great, they’re like one big family,” Hugos said. “They’ve been an integral part of the business. Customers comment all the time about how wonderful they are.”
So, what’s next?
“I’ve been busy archiving thousands of photos from the past 19 years that I took at shows, including video footage. I’ve shared them with friends and musicians. Looking at all of them, it’s made me realize how incredible this whole journey has been.”
Hugos has rediscovered photography, particularly medium-format film. He developed quite a following over the years for his beautiful images and videos on the opera house’s Instagram and Facebook pages. “I started my own Instagram account after lots of folks inquired about my pictures and posts, wondering what happened to me. I’m still here,” he chuckled.
He continued, “It was definitely a labor of love. I didn’t do it for the money, that’s for sure. But it has been fun. I just wanted to show people a good time and see them enjoy themselves. Music has always meant a lot to me. And, I wanted to make a contribution to the town.”
For nearly 20 years, the opera house has truly been Hugos’ baby – he gave birth to the idea, fed it, nurtured it, and watched it grow.
“I imagine it kind of feels like giving a baby up for adoption. It’s been painful. But now someone else gets to raise the baby. It’s been quite an adjustment for me, but I hope Vince will nurture it and keep it thriving for many more years. It’s truly a world-class place to see and hear any band or musician.”
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