During a brief presentation at the Pan Fried Steel Band concert April 4, Opera House board member Genie O'Connell presented outgoing board president Susan Brackett with the Opera House golden chair in recognition of her years of service with the board. Brackett handed over the presidential position to John Abbott in January but will continue to serve as an emeritus member of the board.

This is the second golden chair the Opera House has presented. The first was presented to Steve Malcom, who served as president of the board before Brackett. The recipient gets a gold chair inscribed with "Reserved for (name)."

After many years of standing, it is one of the board's ways of saying "thank you, there will always be a seat in this house reserved for you," said Cathy Sherrill, executive director of the Opera House of Boothbay Harbor.

"The gold chair doesn't actually go home with the recipient, it stays in the house and moved around as we set and reset chairs for events — some nights it's like a Where's Waldo contest, or hunting for an Easter Egg — it's not necessarily in the front row, sometimes it ends up in the balcony, sometimes on an aisle. In fact, it's not even necessarily reserved for Susan (who probably won't sit anyway!) but it helps spark conversation among patrons," said Sherrill.