Two shows planned Saturday for Bank Robbery re-enactment
The director of College Street Players’ production of “The Great Hartselle Bank Robbery of 1926” said there will be two shows planned for Saturday, as a part of this year’s Depot Days activities.
Director Dena Nagel said Tuesday night that there will be two shows Saturday at 6 and 8 p.m. due to an overflow crowd Tuesday night.
The seating area has also been reduced due to the staging areas needed for the performances. The balcony will be closed to attendees, leaving about 150 seats on the main floor.
The doors for the first performance on Saturday will open at 5:15 p.m. Seating for the second show will begin as soon as the auditorium is cleared from the first show.
College Street Players is presenting a play entitled “The Great Hartselle Bank Robbery of 1926” at the Hartselle Fine Arts Center.
The script was written by Martine Bates Sharp with Rachel McKelvy and John Ballew.
The play focuses on one of the most infamous events in the history of Hartselle.
It began in the early morning hours of March 16, 1926, when 15 men arrived at Hartselle’s telephone exchange.
Using a handsaw, the men cut the three cables that linked Hartselle to the outside world. It took eight nitroglycerin blasts to open the vault.
The town was held hostage for the next four hours, as the men took cash, gold bars and some silver coins. The bandits got away with nearly $15,000 and were never caught.