By Bill Forry

The administrators of Uphams Corner's landmark Strand Theatre took a direct hit last week after a scathing front-page article in the Bay State Banner featured allegations that the Strand is being undermined by money woes and mismanagement. According to Strand staffers, however, the Columbia Road landmark is not on its last legs - and may in fact be on the verge of a breakthrough year. Let's hope that's true, because all of us who care about Uphams Corner and Dorchester in general have a stake in this one.

The Banner piece hinged on allegations made by the producer of Urban Nutcracker, the big December ballet musical staged at the Strand each of the last three years. The show's producer, Tony Williams of BalletRox, claimed that a check from the Strand worth more than $15,000 bounced, and that he planned to sue to recover his losses.

According to the Strand's spokeswoman, Lisa Jones, Williams was right: the check did bounce. But, Jones says, the shortfall was since corrected, there is no lawsuit pending, and the situation with the Urban Nutcracker is now resolved. The Reporter attempted to reach Mr. Williams this week, without success.

Tempers are still raw on Columbia Road, however, over the portrayal of the Strand, which was slammed in the Banner piece as "dirty," with "rude" and incompetent staff.

And while Strand executive director Vikki Jones, Lisa's mother, was allowed a chance to explain the bounced check in the piece, Lisa Jones feels as though the non-profit theater got an unwarranted public pounding.

"There's no more trouble at the Strand than there is at any other non-profit," says Jones. "Since 2003 there's been several (non-profits) that have closed down. And we're in an economic deficit too. But we've been fortunate because even though many of our grants have been cut, our (theater) rentals have gone up. They are actually exploding and we're looking forward to being a big part of the (Democratic National Convention) activities this summer."

That's good news. Because if the Strand is in trouble, two years into a renewed effort to turn its ship around- then so is Uphams Corner in general. The 1,400-seat, city-owned theater is actually administered by the not-for-profit M. Harriet McCormack Center for the Arts. After years of dormancy, community activists resurrected the old movie house in 1979 and there have been plenty of highlights since. However, there have been long stretches of struggle too. Through much of the late '90s, the Strand was in a state of suspended animation as its board searched for a new executive director. Although ably served by an interim director, the Strand desperately needed an infusion of cash, community involvement and credibility.

It seemed to get all three in late 2001 with the arrival of Vikki Jones, the former WHDH-TV producer who is now in charge. And, from this vantage point, Jones has made some real progress in that time - and not just by revamping the company website. At Jones's hand, the Strand is slowly getting the nuts-and-bolts overhaul it's sorely needed.

"We've also had a great deal of overhead to deal with," says Lisa Jones. "The city of Boston, quite frankly, has been more than generous in helping us get this building up to speed after 15 years of neglect. We're still dealing with oil heat, for example, which is not sufficient for a building this size. There's been no [air conditioning] in six years and that's also affected any kind of rentals in the summertime."

Thanks to an infusion of long-promised city dollars, Jones says, those sorts of fixes have finally been made in the last year - and more are planned. All of which, she argues, will allow the Strand to do more of the kind of programming - like BalletRox, for example - that has been the hallmark of the still emerging Jones era.

"We have lost some money, but it's because we're being progressive - and offering programs that haven't been offered in 15 years. For 15 years this place fell down around people's ears and no one seemed to care. We have a five-year plan to correct that."

From the Dorchester vantage point, the Strand is steadily making strides in the right direction. If its only vice has been a bounced check, then the Strand should feel right at home in this community, where non-profits are a vital - if delicate - slice of the local economy. A look at the Strand's list of upcoming events shows a promising cast of performances, some geared towards one or another of our neighborhood's diverse ethnic groups - and others towards a much broader audience.

Is there room for improvement? You bet. The Strand needs to finally get a movie projector and give the community a place to catch flicks from time to time. But it takes money and momentum to reach such goals and Rome wasn't built in a day. It says here that the good ship Strand is headed for sunny shores in the not-so-distant future.

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The rumor you heard last week about Marty Walsh is true: The gentleman from the 13th Suffolk district- among the neighborhood's most eligible bachelors for years - is officially off the market. As it happens, the engagement to girlfriend Kate Coughlin happened the day before he took a very tough vote on marriage during the constitutional convention. After the convention wrapped, the happy couple jetted to Walsh's ancestral Ireland for some wedding planning. Coughlin, whom Walsh met on Beacon Hill, is a Chicago native and a first year law student at Boston College.The big day is coming fast: New Year's Eve 2004, in the Emerald Isle. Congrats to Marty and Kate!

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In case you forgot - and who could blame you if you did - there's an election in town next Tuesday. And John Forbes Kerry isn't the only local on the ballot. In fact, you're likely to see plenty of familiar names this year, since the neighborhood's Democrats will be running their slates of ward committee candidates.

Jim Hunt II, chairman of the Ward 16 committee, says that the group won approval from the state party to expand its membership from 21 to 28 members this year. Hunt says it's part of an effort to diversify and broaden its scope in 16.

"We've made a positive statement towards, hopefully diversity, expansion and bringing in new blood," says Hunt. "We were able to grow the diversity of precincts that are represented on the slate, as well as adding more people from diverse backgrounds. We've got a lot more younger folks too and they will all be on the ballot this time."

Hunt says that even though Kerry will walk away with the vote in his home state, it's still important for all Dorchester voters to make a good showing.

"I think the percentage of voter turnout does count today and they've been modest, if not abysmal of late," Hunt says. "There's another reason to vote this year: For Dorchester, because by raising our numbers, that really affects the number of delegates we're allotted."

Hunt also advises the neighborhood's increasing "unenrolled" - a.k.a. Independent voters - that they are eligible to vote next Tuesday. They will simply have to sign a postcard indicating their "switch" to Democrat, at least for the day. And, although Hunt won't broadcast it, know this, too: You can switch back to unenrolled right after you vote.

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There's an interesting event planned this Saturday over on Castle Island, where more than a handful of Dawchestah's finest are known to stroll on occasion.

The South Boston Citizens Association will dedicate a plaque in honor of a Dot group with a unique tie to the Island: the Prince Hall Masons from Grove Hall, Dorchester.

Our friend and neighbor from Southie, Michael Bare, explains: "While doing my usual addictive Internet surfing, looking for history on cannons at Castle Island, I discovered a three-way connection to Evacuation Day, Castle Island and the Masons. It seems that right here in South Boston, one of the most historic pieces of Masonic History took place. The first Black Masons Lodge in the world had its beginnings at Castle William (now Fort Independence), as a result of the flight of British Troops from Boston Harbor on March 17, 1776...On March 6, 1775, Prince Hall and fourteen freed Black men were made Masons by Worshipful Master John Batt of Army Lodge No. 441, of the 38th Regiment of Foot of the British Army ... All of this took place at a time in American History when it wasn't safe for Prince Hall and the 14 other Black men to be speaking with, much less asking for favors of, the British. But it was also a time when free Black men very much needed a means by which to advance the cause of Black equality."

Bare says that the plaque dedication will take place at 9 a.m. with Ed Merritt from Mount Washington Bank serving as honorary chairman.