Grass Valley, CA – There’s a new game in town, in more ways than one. Currently under construction in the Whispering Pines Business Park in Grass Valley is InConcert Sierra’s 42,000 square foot Crown Point Venues. When completed, the venues will include a 9400 square foot acoustic concert hall, 4400 square foot conference center with adjacent catering kitchen, and 2500 square foot black box theater.

Cats: Three of the original six cat-seat dynasty with named concert seats in the future Hardin Hall Concert venue.
Cats: Three of the original six cat-seat dynasty with named concert seats in the future Hardin Hall Concert venue.

After six cats initially seized the spotlight at Crown Point Venues, with their owner’s naming concert seats adorned with their feline’s names for $1000 per seat. The canine community has declared the game on. Determined dogs have rallied to reclaim their rightful place with eight brass-plated seats now bearing canine names.

Dogs: Lorraine Plagge (left) said she and her dog Barney wanted to get revenge over the cats that initially snatched up named concert seats. Constance Reeve (right) and Perry Blake purchased a seat named for their dog Buddy (middle). And, Finley, the elegant Golden Retriever of John Reves and Robin Laverty-Reves will also be honored with a named seat.
Dogs: Lorraine Plagge (left) said she and her dog Barney wanted to get revenge over the cats that initially snatched up named concert seats. Constance Reeve (right) and Perry Blake purchased a seat named for their dog Buddy (middle). And, Finley, the elegant Golden Retriever of John Reves and Robin Laverty-Reves will also be honored with a named seat.

Hardin Hall will feature just 540 concert seats so that members of the audience will have an intimate experience with the artists on stage. The hall is designed in the classic shoebox shape of “double-double-double” meaning the length of the hall is twice the width and the width is twice the floor to ceiling height. Additional design features overseen by an acoustician scientist ensure the natural acoustic properties of the hall, like the great concert halls of Europe built centuries ago. Audience members in all 540 seats will be able to hear equally well the instruments and voices onstage without the need for amplification.

All members of the audience will also have an unrestricted line of sight to the stage. This is achieved by a computer algorithm placing seats of inconspicuously different widths so that everyone will be looking over the shoulder rather than the back of the head of the person in the row in front of them.

To date, the halfway mark has been surpassed with the purchase of 280 named concert seats. Some people are naming a whole row of seats so they can also place a company, family, or group name on the brass end plates. It is expected that seats will sell out before the Crown Point Venue opens.

For individuals interested in Crown Point Venues or those wishing to participate in an exciting opportunity to name a concert seat—whether for themselves, family, friends, or even a beloved pet—visit the official website at crownpointvenues.com. 

Stay tuned to hear whether it will be reigning cats or dogs!

Barbara Drew is the Vice-President of the InConcert Sierra Board of Directors.