By providing proper venues for our talented performing groups, the quality of life in the Community will be greatly enhanced.

Our children will be exposed to fine music, drama, dance, and the arts in general. The arts provide strong positive values for children as well as helping them to develop skills for life. For example, scientific studies show that students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored 104 points higher on the SAT than students with no arts participation.

The arts involve children in positive, healthy activities. For example, children who tend to be disruptive in school make up 12% of the total school population, but the percentage drops to 8% for children involved in music classes.

Adults and children alike will learn the fascinating history of Tehachapi and the Tehachapi Mountains. The Museum will house the history and culture of the Kawaiisu Indians who have occupied this community for some 3,000 years. The geologic history of the Tehachapi Mountains will tell of the period of time when Tehachapi was a lagoon, and the eras when Tehachapi was home to the six-foot sloth, mammoths, camels, Bengal cats, rhinos, and other unlikely characters. Add to this the history of our wind industry, our famous railroad, and the history of old-time fiddling, and you have a wonderful learning environment for our Community.

Finally, this Center will provide meeting space at affordable rates for our local nonprofit organizations. Commercial organizations will also have space for meetings and conferences, but at a slightly higher rental rate. Today, our nonprofits struggle to find suitable space for meetings and, when they find space, it is often too expensive for their meager budgets.

This Center is being designed as a “green building”, that is, it will be energy efficient and environmentally sensitive. It will not only reduce significantly the costs of operation and maintenance, but it will also bring many interested people into our Community to see what has gone into the construction of the building. We believe we can qualify for one of the highest awards of the LEED Council (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). This will bring a great deal of honor and publicity to our Community.

The Center will serve the entire Community in a wide variety of activities.