SALINA – The Temple in Salina is experiencing a growth in bookings as a result of improvements made through the ongoing Big Lift campaign. A notable example of this growth is the national barbershop quartet competition, Brigade on the Range, booked for 2026. It will feature 45 performers from 17 states.

A public outreach concert is already taking place at the Temple this summer. However, the group was unable to use the historic theater this year due to the lack of air conditioning. Next year, with the addition of HVAC purchased through the Big Lift campaign, they have committed to holding the entire event at the Temple.

John Phillips Souza played at the dedication of the downtown Salina Masonic temple in 1927. The 160,000-square-foot structure features 122 hand-hammered copper gargoyles on the roof and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2000.

In recent years, a nonprofit organization called the Salina Innovation Foundation has operated The Temple as a co-working space and an elegant venue for events. The Temple has seen a 10% increase in bookings for 2026-27 driven by the anticipated success of the Big Lift accessibility and climate control improvements, which are expected to significantly enhance the Temple as an accessible historic venue.

The project includes retrofitting the building’s original elevators to meet accessibility standards, renovating existing bathrooms to make them ADA compliant and installing HVAC to ensure year-round usability of the iconic theater stage, ballroom dance floor and panoramic seating.

By June, a grant from the Hansen Foundation had helped the Big Lift reach 75% of its fundraising goal.  The campaign was entering the final phase of its fundraising efforts. One ADA-compliant bathroom was complete, and the retrofit of the first elevator was underway.

A local artist is reimagining one of the original elevator cars that was not compliant with modern safety codes. An interactive sculpture is being crafted from the old car, preserving its vintage features like the caged frame, wood-paneled walls, and iconic operator wheel. The piece will find a home in the Temple’s lobby, where it will serve as a tactile tribute to the building’s past.