LA GRANDE — The Elgin Opera House and HQ in La Grande may soon be able to put the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic further in the rearview mirror.

Legislation has been introduced that would provide the two Union County venues a total of $69,633 in funding to help them recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Getting all the way back has been a challenge,” Kathy Bonney, executive assistant of the Friends of the Opera House, said.

The Elgin Opera House would receive $61,013 and HQ, a media studio and live event venue where the annual Eastern Oregon Film Festival is based, would receive $8,620 via Oregon House Bill 2459.

The money is part of $10.7 million that would be given to 77 small independent venues in Oregon. All are closely linked to the arts. The bill would also provide a total of $11.8 million to seven “major’’ venues in the state connected to the arts, among them the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland, which would receive $5.1 million; the Oregon Symphony, Portland, which would be awarded $1.8 million; and the High Desert Museum, near Bend, which would receive $759,500.

To qualify for funding from HB 2459 organizations must demonstrate that at any time between 2020 and 2023 they experienced a significant loss of earned revenue due to statewide mandates or guidance of the Oregon Health Authority, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the wording of the bill.

The Elgin Opera House was among those hit hard by the pandemic, for it was closed a total of 20 months in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Bonney wrote a letter to the Oregon Legislature on behalf of the Friends of the Opera House, describing the challenges COVID-19 posed and asking for support from HB 2459.

She wrote that the Elgin Opera House’s programs were thriving in 2019 with record attendance, successful camps and studio classes. The Elgin Opera House was producing three to four main stage and three to four small stage productions per year with casts of 15-60 actors.

Each show ran three to four weeks and brought in audiences of 150 for the small stage and 750 for the main stage each weekend.

“We had become a regional entertainment draw,” Bonney wrote.

Then, COVID-19 turned the world upside down.

“The pandemic stopped the momentum of our brand and it was like starting over. We are hopeful that 2023 sees us reach the levels of participation that we enjoyed in 2019,” Bonney wrote.

When the Elgin Opera House, she said, returns to its 2019 status, Union County will be a better place.

“When we do better, the community does better,” Bonney said.

She explained that the Elgin Opera House’s productions attract many from outside the area, with 60% of the people attending coming from beyond Union County. These are visitors, Bonney said, who eat at local restaurants, purchase fuel and make other purchases boosting the local economy.

She is confident that the Opera House will regain its former foothold.

“The Friends of the Opera House and all of our actors and audiences have a resilient spirit. We will continue to bring quality, family-friendly entertainment to Northeast Oregon in the true tradition of the pioneers that settled this area,” Bonney said.

Other regional venues that would also receive funding from HB 2459 include the OK Theatre in Enterprise, which would be provided $18,987.

The bill was introduced into the Oregon Legislature by Rep. Rob Nosse, D-Portland. It is now in the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business.

Funding for HB 2459, if passed by the Legislature, would be distributed by the Oregon Business Development Department.