Schauer Arts & Activities Center

We used the Schauer Arts Center for our wedding reception so my review is strictly for those considering it for their wedding. I couldn’t be happier that I decided to have our reception here! The place has great character and style with plenty of space for any amount of guests. We had about 150 guests and there was plenty of room for people to walk between tables and not feel cramped. The price was very reasonable compared to other places we looked and the fact that the bar is all set up through the Schauer Center helped save money compared to most places we made budgets for while deciding. They are able to get pretty much any beer, wine, or alcohol you want and assisted in keeping within our budget. The additional option of renting the Auto Museum is great to give the guests something to enjoy during down time while the bridal party did photos. The director of event services, Brandon Herr, was fabulous! He kept everything organized and had great rapport with the other vendors. I really don’t know how he keeps it all organized while being of such great assistance to everyone. So happy we chose the Schauer Arts Center for our wedding and will continue to recommend it to everyone!

Last night I attended Broadway Rox at The Schauer Center with some friends. What a great show! It’s amazing to see that level of talent in little Hartford, WI. The performers sang songs from many of the top broadway shows from over the last 20 or 30 years. Most of them were from very recent shows like Wicked, American Idiot, and Rent.
I have attended other music and theatre performances at The Schauer Center and have always been impressed with the quality talent that they bring in. Other favorites were Late Night Catechism, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Chapter 6 an a cappella singing group.
The facility itself is really cool. They did such a nice job turing an old building into an arts center, while preserving the history and look of the building.
One of my best friends had their wedding reception at The Schauer Center and we all had a great time. It’s such a cool building to have a wedding in.

Sooo happy with this venue! Went here for their open house and was impressed. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect… however, I was pleasantly surprised! The building is newly renovated and provides a unique and updated setting with plenty of space and sunlight. The service was personalized and friendly, and the bartenders were quick and efficient. While at the open house, we questioned some options, inquiring about a space for our family Xmas. Our questions were answered honestly and immediately. They offered to open their space to us and even indicated that they would assist us in finding some local music for our event. They’ve been open and willing to work with our expectations throughout the planning and have been more than helpful! Would definitely recommend working with this staff and their venue!

When we first chose the Schauer Arts & Activities Center for our wedding reception my wife and I couldn’t have been happier. We meet with who is now the former event coordinator and she seemed great as her reviews stated. The place is also beautiful and connected to the Wisconsin Auto Museum. However, unfortunately for us we had the bad luck of having to work with this venue during a major staffing change.
The problem from the start was communication about the changes. We were not informed until we started asking questions and it made us feel as if we were forgotten about or were not a priority. We felt as if we deserved to be informed about the changes in who we were working with and not left to find this information out on our own. When a new event coordinator was hired we noticed while keeping up with their website. We gave it about two weeks or so to see if anyone would reach out to us and let us know. After we felt it was long enough without hearing from them we took the action of reaching out. This whole process made us feel as if we were starting over, but the only difference was now we didn’t have the option of going with a different venue.
The new event coordinated didn’t meet our expectations from the start. I understand that when staffing changes policies sometimes changes along with it. However, there was a situation where the new event coordinator wanted to place his new policies onto us which meant we would have to change our centerpieces/​candles, weeks before the wedding. Our centerpieces and candles were approved prior to his arrival by the old event coordinator. We eventually got them to realize it was in their best interest to honor prior agreements made before the staffing change, but for me that does not excuse the fact it caused us unnecessary stress weeks before the wedding. Other negative experiences included the venue being too warm the day of the reception and them unable to do anything about it. I guess they are a non profit organization and have a tight budget. We asked to have the blinds closed for dinner to give it an elegant feel but when the time came the blinds were wide open. As it seemed to me this really had impact on the temperature of the room as the sun shined through the big windows, let alone that it took away from the mood we wanted to set. In the days and weeks after our wedding we also heard many stories from our guests about their experiences with the bartenders. Everything from them not knowing how to make some peoples drinks, to charging different prices for the same drink throughout the night, and some thought they were just rude. Well thats my summary. It’s a shame because we had such high expectations when we chose The Schauer Arts and Activities Center.

This is a great theatre in our town. Their calendar each year brings in national acts all year long. A intimate setting, to be sure. The acoustics are suited for the performance venue, and this facility plays host to many local organizations. A theatre group, the Hartford Players, the Hartford City Band, and the Hartford Community Chorus.
The Ruth A Knoll theatre is a fantastic place to take in a show on the weekend. Pike’s peak plays host to local art n showcase as well as a banquet hall that is available for events and weddings.
Good friends of ours were married here. I was truly impressed. A great venue for a wedding and easily transferred the event upstairs for the reception.
To summarize, the theater is top notch, the shows are nationally recognized acts, and for the value, this is a great venue.