the organization was recognized by the National Recreation and Park Association and was honored with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council Dorothy Mullen Arts & Humanities Award for a program that exemplified outstanding efforts in the arts among park and recreation departments. Thirty four years later, the organization has grown in numerous directions.
Concerts are now held in the historic Yardley Community Centre, mostly on Saturday evenings, and the organization continues to bring top notch performers to its stage.
In 1996, LMSPA established a vital partnership with the Pennsbury School District’s “Pennsbury Partners Program” through its Outreach Program called “Artists in the Classroom”, which seeks to enrich the educational and cultural lives of the community’s youngest members – students. Bringing professional artists into the school environment enables students to recognize the arts as an authentic means of expression as part of classroom learning.
The Lower Makefield Society for the Performing Arts
also developed many business partnerships throughout the region, adding financial and community support to its mission. LMSPA’s mission and scope showed such significant growth that, in 2004, a governing board was established to oversee present and anticipated programs. The new board quickly concluded that the Lower Makefield Society for the Performing Arts had achieved sufficient stature as an arts organization to serve as a cultural resource for a much wider area. As a result, the following changes were implemented: a change in name to the “Bucks County Performing Arts Center” (BCPAC), that encompasses all of Bucks County, a fully-constituted board of directors and the operating structure of an expanded organization, with strategic planning and a focus based mission, enhanced support, and continued growth. BCPAC’s new name confirms the group's intent, while allowing continued sponsorship and financial support by Lower Makefield Township.
