ST. MARYS, OH (WLIO) - The St. Marys High School class of '65 reminisced about their time at the local theater and seeing what was new.
The Grand Opera House took the class on a tour of the theater and ballroom and gave a presentation on how the renovation process has come along in the last few years. They were also shown several decades-old videos of the theater, including a video where the group spotted one of their own as a child. The group had many fond memories of coming to see movies there as children and teens, back when tickets were only 25 cents.
"In the lady's restroom they had a 'cry room,' so if you had a baby with you and he or she was crying, you could take them in there and sit in the cry room, then the theater was nice and quiet," recalled Susan Broadbeck of the Class of 1965. During the presentation on the theater's history, photos showed that mothers in the cry room were still able to watch the film from behind soundproof glass."
The group also heard an update on several new improvements coming soon.
"We are in the phase three of what we call the back wall project. We had a little bit of a structural issue that we knew going into this, and one of the fixes for it was to actually make The Grand now a multifaceted venue of indoor and an outdoor venue. So when this project is completed we'll be able to have outside concerts and productions," explained Doug Spencer, project coordinator, Friends of St. Marys Theater.
"It's a great venue and when they get it done, the inside and the outside stage, just about any kind of shows will be here and I hope that it really does bring people to town. I'd love to see a classy restaurant come in and some of the merchants come back," stated Dave Williams, St. Marys Class of 1965.
To see what entertainment is coming to the Grand Opera House this summer, visit their website at grandoperahouselive.com.
