The High Desert Center for the Arts is home to theater groups, an art gallery, an art education center and ghosts.

Victor Valley has a treasure in the center, which was built in 1943 as a USO site to serve local military personnel. Run entirely by volunteers, the gallery space has lighting modeled after high-end art houses in Las Vegas. The 170-seat theater has a sloped floor for good stage views from every seat.

Five theater groups that target chil­dren use the space, as do other local theater and music groups. Still, T.R. Marino, president of the Theatre Arts Guild, is stunned when he asks first-time audience members to raise their hands. Newcomers, he says, seem to know about the place, but long-time residents don’t.

“It’s a full-blown center for the arts,” says Executive Director Dick Dorwald. “What we have is a labor of love.”

The center has classes in acting, stage­craft, painting, watercolor and other arts. The Theater Arts Guild puts on five shows a year, launching with a burlesque revival and finishing with a holiday show, Marino says.

The center is also home to Shenanigan’s Youth Theatre Group, the High Desert Players and High Desert Rats, a comedy improve troupe.

Like the theater, the gallery’s mission is to both serve local artists and present their work to the public, including a reception for each show.

“The arts have a refining effect on people’s lives,” Dorwald says.

Still, getting folks in the door is some­times a struggle, but once they discover the center, they come back.

More first-time visitors may be stop­ping by soon. The High Center is in Victorville’s Old Town. The city is spear­heading residential redevelopment in Old Town to increase foot traffic and attract retail shops.

In addition to quality performances, there’s another reason to visit the theater.

The California Society for Ghost Research reports a young male ghost from the Spanish War; two teenage ghosts from the Mojave Tribe; Maribel, whose house on the site burned down in 1875; Francisco, an actor in a Hamlet costume; and assorted cowboys.