The historic Ohio Theatre, located since 1910 at 156 North Water Street in beautiful downtown Loudonville, Ohio, is in need of renovation. Just after the new year, Mayor Betty Welsh, in conjunction with the Loudonville Recreation Board, called the first meeting of the newly formed Loudonville Theatre Advisory Committee. The question on the table was, "How do we make the Ohio Theatre profitable again and restore it to its original glory which helped put Loudonville, Ohio on the map many years ago?"

The LTAC decided to test the waters of the community to see if the large task of restoration was truly a goal of the residents of Loudonville, many of whom had spent many happy years and memories in the seats of the famous landmark.

The response has been very favorable, however, the financial support is still outstanding.

Building on previous restoration efforts and expressed community enthusiasm, the LTAC began planning the first benefit event titled, "Past, Present and Future; Making Memories Come Alive," scheduled for Saturday August 26th at the Ohio Theatre in Loudonville.

To date, they have raised $1,546.10 toward their goal of $20,000 for the first event, thanks in large part to a $1,000 donation from the Loudonville Lioness Club. For a complete list of donation support thus far, and in recognition of other acts of kindness, see the "Thank You" section of the LTAC web site www.ohiotheatre.org.

Mayor Welsh today added an essay to the web site section entitled, "History and Essays" in which she pledged her support and encouragement for the restoration efforts:

Growing up in Loudonville, my memories are many of the Ohio Theatre. I remember attending movies in my teenage years, and thinking how neat it was to have a theatre in our little town.

It had been many years since that time that I had the occasion to step foot in the theatre again. During that time, volunteers in the community had done work to give the place a "face-lift". I now look at the structure with awe, trying to imagine how it was built in the early 1900's. My first time back stage was breathtaking. What a vast amount of space, and images appeared in my mind of actors in the dressing rooms preparing for their performances. How I would love to step back in time to witness that!

We truly have a treasure in our midst, and it deserves attention from our community. I am very proud to watch the progress of the Theatre Advisory Committee accomplishing the goals and objectives toward helping renovate the Ohio Theatre. I will continue to assist the committee through my office in any way I can.

Betty G. Welsh, Mayor

Four area sponsors have also come on board to help the benefit event efforts.

The classic movie The Wizard of Oz which will be shown at 2:00 pm, August 26, is sponsored by Jac - Lin and Colonial Manor. Ticket printing services for the event have been provided by PV Communications and will go on sale in August. Small $1 donation publicity signs will soon go up all over town, thanks to the coordinating efforts of Sue Long, with photocopying courtesy of Truax Printing. The event concession stand has been sponsored by a group called the "Tin Man, Lion & Me, " a salute to the Ohio Theatre by the MacQueen family including Laurel Ludick from Boardman, Ohio.

The LTAC encourages sponsorships because they provide valuable promotional opportunities for area businesses as well as financial support for the restoration efforts. A complete list of sponsorships is available on line at www.ohiotheatre.org. Proceeds from the first event will directly fund a new sound system, which is desperately needed for the enjoyment of movies as well as live performances. Improvements to follow will include a black curtain for set changes for live performances as well as contributions to the Village of Loudonville to update the electrical systems.

Sponsorships which are still available and most needed for the event include:

• A Late Night Movie sponsor for the showing of Wizard of Oz, as accompanied by the sound track from Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album. The sponsorship is $175.00. For the eclectic audiences, word has it that the connection between the music and the movie is amazing… an experience which is best viewed on the big screen with donated professional sound for the event.

• A printer is also needed to sponsor the event program. The printer sponsor will assume the cost to print the programs and include their logo on the front cover and receive additional to mentions on the Ohio Theatre web site.

• A sponsor is needed for the 7:00 pm evening performance for the benefit which features encore musical performances by the Loudonville Players from "Oklahoma", "The Sound of Music", "Guys and Dolls", "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Brigadoon". The sponsorship is $100 and the Evening Performance Sponsor will be mentioned on the web site as well as in the event program.

• For romantics who would like to donate $25.00 and become immortalized for all time, they can reserve a movie dedication plaque which will be engraved with a movie title of their choice with a printed dedication line to their loved one. The dedication plaque will be permanently hung in the Ohio Theatre lobby. To sponsor the entire dedication plaque, which will feature the sponsor's name engraved on top, is $225.00.

To reserve sponsorships, movie dedication plaques, or to make a donation which will be listed in the event program and on the Ohio Theatre website, please mail donations to the Loudonville Theatre Advisory Committee, P.O. Box 241, Loudonville, Ohio 44842. Or make reservations on-line through the LTAC website, type in www.ohiotheatre.org to the address line of your Internet browser. Faxes with reservations will also be accepted at (419) 994-0610.

For no cost at all, Ohio Theatre enthusiasts are encouraged to participate by submitting historical and / or retrospective essays to the web site by e-mailing them to essays@ohiotheatre.org or faxing them to (419) 994-0610, or mail to LTAC, P.O. Box 241, Loudonville, Ohio 44842.

The web site also features many pictures of the Ohio Theatre over the years. If you would like to submit a picture for the website, please drop off materials to LTAC and Village Council Member, Harold Schmidt at his Radio Shack store located at 231 West Main Street, Loudonville.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact one of the following Loudonville Theatre Advisory Committee members: Kerry MacQueen, Chairperson, Judy Webster, Suzanne Ferencak, Harold Schmidt, Steve Stricklen, Sue Gorisek, Mary Srouse, Gertrude Fisher, Larry Kauffman, Todd Vermila and Karen Hurley.