With the recent bombardment of snow and wind and the subsequent power outages, South End businesses took a battering in the books.

Though the weather was hard on many during the pre-holiday rush, Whidbey Island Center for the Arts seemed to grow stronger in the face of the storms, however.

“Our season opened like gangbusters,” said executive director Stacie Burgua. “Djangofest exceeded all of our expectations with record sales.”

WICA had to add shows using the high school’s 600-seat auditorium full to capacity for the evening performances, besides filling the 246 seats at WICA.

Burgua said that Djangofest has turned into an international event with people coming to Langley from all over the U.S., Canada and Europe. Langley has turned into the gypsy-jazz version of Montreaux — the famous summer jazz festival of Switzerland – with spontaneous “jams” sprouting up around town and people overheard calling it lovingly “our Djangofest.”

The excellent attendance continued through the October opening of “ART,” the first offering of the theater series, and then maintained predominantly full capacity audiences through November with Grupo Condor, the Kosher Red Hots, Jambanja and Nancy Pearl, rock star of “Book Lust” fame.

But the real highlight of November was the introductory offering of the Double Feature Series, a pairing of a film followed by an optional dinner break at Prima Bistro and then a concert of the film’s music back at the theater.

“The Red Violin” and violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn with the Saratoga Chamber Players were the first pairing in the series. Burgua said this series was new and not something the company was sure would fly. She was pleasantly pleased when ticket sales were overwhelmingly successful for the first date in this series, especially the concert portion.

“It was so much more than we expected; 157 people came for the film and the concert was at full capacity,” Burgua said.

When “Little Women” opened Dec. 1 during the week of the first power outage, all odds were against them. But rehearsals in the cold, costumers sewing by candlelight and actors shouting over the noise of the generator could not stop this little play that could. Even a second outage during closing weekend windstorms could not deter audiences from flocking to the theater, blankets in tow and stuffing the “generator donation” jar full of dollars.

And candles lining the stage in Mason jars became more of a theatrical boost to the period play than a desperate source of light.

“One woman called and told me she was buying all the batteries the theater needed during the outage,” said Jason Dittmer, WICA’s marketing director.

Dittmer said the gesture almost made him cry, he was so moved by it.

The community has made the theater its gathering place, Burgua explained. They have embraced it as their own and that sense of community has fared well, not just for ticket sales, but for morale as well.

Burgua and Dittmer are obviously proud of the community that has taken WICA under its wing and made it fly.

“Only three patrons asked for a refund during the ‘Little Women’ power outage,” Burgua said.

Patricia Duff can be reached at 221-5300 or pduff@southwhidbeyrecord.com.