Fundraising concert in Kaitangata on Saturday night was the first big step towards improving the township's hall.
Kaitangata band the Crescents - Aaron Jury, Vickie Evans, Bevan Gardner, and Aaron Hosking - played at the concert, the first major fundraiser since the community voted to take ownership of the hall.
In November 2011, the Clutha District Council hosted a public meeting in Kaitangata to discuss the future of its hall.
Residents voiced concern over how rates towards the hall had been spent and why maintenance had not been kept to a higher standard.
Council staff said the hall was facing $170,000 of maintenance just to keep it open, and work had been deferred until the community decided what it wanted to do with the hall. Past maintenance had been kept to a minimum to keep rates down.
A hall committee of seven Kaitangata residents was then formed to look at community ownership of the building.
Kaitangata War Memorial Hall Committee chairwoman Debbie Robertson-Dunn said residents had decided to take ownership of the hall and handover was due in June.
She said the hall was a focal point for the community, and was built in 1956 after the community raised the money to fund the project.
''There's always been special things happening here.''
Since the committee was formed early last year, the hall's boiler had been fixed and volunteers carried out a ''spring clean''.
Fellow committee member Evan Dick said the town was behind its hall and smaller fundraisers such as raffles had been held.
''If everyone pitches in and helps, then they will take pride in it.''
Kaitangata has a population of about 800 people.
