The Schoolhouse
The Garcia Little Red Schoolhouse, where WCO makes its home, was built in 1905 on land that was donated by the Garcia family. The facility was a key element of education for over 75 years until 1982, when it was sold to a local bank. When the branch moved to a new location, they decided to turn the facility over to a non-profit, the Wickenburg Children’s cultural Organization.
Today, the WCO is working to take the schoolhouse back to its roots of education and learning by making the building available to all of the residents of our community. The WCO has upgraded the interior with new audio/visual and sound equipment. Seminars and other types of events can now be staged at the schoolhouse. New comfortable seating and a select number of tables can be moved in and out for any event. They also plan to add an outside bathroom and an ADA ramp to be able to access the main building.
Picnic tables and additional lighting are soon to be added, as well as improved parking by the gazebo, to make the park and schoolhouse both useful and accessible to all! The WCO has been fortunate to have funds donated to be able to begin improvements and reduce the overall cost of the rejuvenating project.
The Music
Each school year, the WCO sponsors an orchestral concert for all of the local schools to attend for free. Though the program and performers change each year, the purpose is always the same: to expose students to classical and orchestral music in a fun setting. Some of these children may not have any other opportunity to be exposed to this type of music, and the concert is always an enjoyable one for students and teachers!
In years past, the WCO has been an integral part of running a music camp for local students during the summer, as well as a central location for music lessons on stringed instruments. While those programs are not currently active, as WCO continues to grow, programs similar to that would be a priority they’d love to reinstate. Music for children has always been the heart of WCO.