Maumee sets July 25 for theater work

7/17/2003

The long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for the Maumee Indoor Theater renovation and expansion project is set for 10 a.m. July 25 on the theater grounds at 601 Conant St.

Area residents are invited to attend the ceremony where plans for the theater will be displayed. Refreshments will be served.

Maumee City Council last week approved construction contracts for the project. The total construction cost, including work on the parking area and landscaping, is estimated at $3.14 million.

The theater will serve as a venue for both performing arts and movies. The city purchased the theater in August, 2000, for $300,000. The single-screen theater closed in 1996.

Plans call for renovating the theater and constructing a second theater with “convertible space “ to accommodate a variety of events. The basement area will feature a community room, restrooms, showers, and dressing rooms.

Passenger train excursions will return to Waterville beginning Saturday, according to officials with the Toledo, Lake Erie and Western Railway & Museum, Inc.

It lost its lease in 1998 after the village said the railway yard was a potential threat to public safety because of litter and debris; and some residents nearby had complained of noise and whistle blowing. Since then, the train has been taking passengers between Grand Rapids and Waterville, but not stopping in Waterville.

Passenger service will resume at the Waterville Train Station, 49 North Sixth St., with a 1 p.m. train on Saturday. Railway volunteers have spent hundreds of hours refurbishing the 115-year-old Waterville Depot at the rail-yard property.

A dedication ceremony is slated for 6 p.m. Saturday at the depot to recognize the efforts of the many volunteers.

To celebrate its return, the railway has scheduled two special excursion trains. On Saturday Ralph Borror will portray Abraham Lincoln during “whistlestop” visits on the one-hour train trips beginning at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

On Aug. 2, author and historian Laurie Dickens will present information about the 1901 Wreck on the Wabash during the 7 p.m. train ride.

To celebrate Ohio's Bicentennial, a community picnic will be held in Conrad Park beginning at 6 p.m. on Aug. 9.

Organized by the Waterville Area Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature a variety of activities, including a picnic featuring hot dogs, chips and soda for $2 per person from 6 to 8 p.m.

Children's games, an ice cream social, and a special $1 per person ride on the Bluebird excursion train also are slated. A disc jockey will provide music, and an Abbott & Costello movie will be shown at the park gazebo at 9 p.m. Rain date is Aug. 16.