RBC | Rio Blanco County’s aural gem, The Tank Center for the Sonic Arts, is once again open for the summer. It sat for many years unnoticed, except for local teenagers. It was their secret spot and really wasn’t a secret to local law enforcement and parents.
The steel water tank was constructed in 1940 for use as a railroad water treatment facility and moved to Rangely in the mid-1960s to be part of a fire suppression system for the utility company. As it turned out, it sat unused for decades. It has been reported that the shale foundation and gravel on which the tank was placed made it impossible to use it for this purpose. However, the result produced the primary reason the tank became the area’s main musical attraction. The feeling of its “surround sound” and its scenic location was turned into a live music venue and tourist attraction. Touted by many within the music and film industry for its unique acoustical resonance, the offerings each season at The Tank since 2015 have grown and the opportunities for fans all over the country to take part in their concerts, films, and tours have expanded even after the COVID-19 crisis.
Childhood offered so many of us the opportunity to test out our own voices to create sounds that never seemed to end. Echoes are examples of the one example of acoustical resonance that guarantees long sounds to surround us. I didn’t view my voice as my instrument or the sound I made as music. These secret places introduced us to the thrilling feeling of discovering our own voices.
Babies do this naturally. They get so much pleasure from hearing their own voices, especially with their families around them. It is so much fun for most everyone who hears them. Hearing songs or sounds for the first time is a pleasure we all experience.
The organization Friends of the Tank formed not long after its existence was threatened in 2013. Their interest in preserving this local treasure for everyone enabled them to raise funds. They all seemed to feel sharing this experience with others was important and even more fun.
I understand the attraction of these places. We can all relate to the story because of our own experiences. It isn’t until someone gives us a new look into preserving a place for everyone to enjoy that we are able to work together to make sure that happens. We all need, as the old Beatles song goes, a little help from our friends.
By DOLLY VISCARDI – Special to the Herald Times
