ORANGE — While crews were in town filming “Castle Rock,” parts of Orange were temporarily transformed into a mystical place. Now, as a thank-you to the town, some locations will be transformed more permanently.
The production team of the upcoming Hulu show, “Castle Rock,” has donated $10,000 to the town of Orange for the purpose of beautifying its Riverfront Park and Memorial Park.
The gesture comes less than a month after the show donated $3,500 to the town’s Fire Department and Trustees of Soldiers’ Memorials.
“We very much appreciate all the cooperation and help the town and its residents provided us while filming Season 1 of ‘Castle Rock,’” Alex Berard, “Castle Rock” location manager, wrote in a letter to the town.
“Castle Rock” was filmed sporadically in Orange from August 2017 until January, causing streets to be closed, or cemeteries, parks and storefronts to be remodeled at times.
The original series by Hulu — a subscription video-on-demand service — is set in one of the most prominent locations from the Stephen King mythos. Castle Rock, the town, is mentioned in many of King’s works and featured in the horror author’s books “Cujo,” “The Dark Half” and “The Dead Zone.”
“We hope to work together soon on a possible Season 2,” he added.
According to town Finance Director and Treasurer Gabriele Voelker, presenting the letter of donation at Wednesday’s Selectboard meeting, “‘Castle Rock’ was trying to do something for the town, and so they came and asked for some suggestions.”
After throwing out some ideas — like a community movie room for residents — Voelker, with feedback from Riverfront Park board member Denise Andrews, requested money for the parks as a gift.
Voelker suggested a motion that the Selectboard accept the $10,000 donation, put it in a trust account and “put it under the purview of Colin Killay, the cemetery, parks and highway superintendent.”
According to Voelker, Killay’s landscaping background gives him valuable insight to make decisions about the parks.
The Selectboard passed her suggested motion unanimously.
Voelker also said that maintenance of the parks is already “very difficult to do in this year’s budget,” to which Selectboard Clerk James Cornwell agreed.
Cornwell also serves on the Trustees of Soldiers’ Memorials, who facilitate maintenance of memorial stones at Memorial Park. He said that, while expensive, beautifying the parks is certainly necessary.
“Last year, as you probably know, the Dinner by the River was canceled because of the condition of Riverfront Park,” said Cornwell, referring to the annual community dinner that was called off specifically because of the park’s appearance.
Cornwell has been working with the Orange Revitalization Partnership to come up with a plan to “fix” the park, which has deteriorated and has needed maintenance like weed-removal for a long time.
The money donated by “Castle Rock” will not be enough to completely revitalize the two parks, Cornwell said, but it will certainly help.
“This will go a long way to continue that project,” Cornwell said.
When Selectman Thomas J. Smith asked how long it would take to “bring the parks up to where we’d like them or where they should be,” he was met with uncertainty.
“It’s about money and staffing,” said Voelker, adding that staff overseeing the cemeteries and parks has been cut from four to three in recent years.
However, now the money is earmarked for a specific purpose, irrespective of how long it will take — improving Orange’s parks.
There is still no premiere date for “Castle Rock,” but ads shown on the service indicate a summer release.