T’was the day after Duck Plucking and all through the Community Center,
Not a creature was stirring…
Who am I kidding? Everyone was stirring. The Center was again cleaned, tallies made, thank yous extended…Heritage Accord had a big day in November, and the Newton Falls Community really came out and showed their support. Now HA is moving on to its next project. They are planning the 80 Year Anniversary Celebration of the building.
Finished in 1941, on January 18, 1942 the USO building was dedicated. As you may know, the Newton Falls Community Center has a proud, historical past. It was a gathering place, a social destination, a place for volunteers to organize, it even bunked troops. It was the ‘Home away from home’ for the soldiers. It soon became a place to also serve the defense workers of the nearby Ravenna Arsenal and their families. It was even the first USO to be open 24 hours, to accommodate the third shift at the Arsenal. It was one of 201 government-built facilities like this in the World War II era. Now, only 5 Type A buildings, and only 15 total buildings are left in the country, and this is the only one left in Ohio. Heritage Accord is moving forward with the project of restoration.
Heritage Accord has been busy with fundraisers in order to restore it. Most recently, the Pluck A Duck raised approximately $14,000. There were two recent donations of $10,000 each. Some shop owners have mugs and Christmas ornaments available, all proceeds going to the effort. (Did someone say Stocking Stuffer?) Now, they are moving onto the next phase, a weekend party!
Let’s start early. From 8:30 to 10:00am, the Community Center opens its doors to the public for coffee and donuts. Then, at 10:00am a small military convoy will make its way through town, ending at the Center. At 10:30, a brief formal ceremony will feature remarks by Mayor Ken Kline.
Dr. Everard Smith will be speaking at 11:00. Dr. Smith is coming from his home in Wilmington, NC to share his expertise in his talk entitled, ‘A Feminine Touch: Women in the USO in WWII.’ Dr. Smith holds a Ph D in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His Undergraduate Degree is in History, from Yale. He has served as professor and administrator at University of North Carolina Wilmington for many years. While there, he specialized in Information Technology. In his retirement, he serves communities as a local historian. He has been a key member of Heritage Accord, lending historical expertise and experience to their efforts. His talk will conclude with a Question-and-Answer time. This is free, but reservations are required, as it will take place in the lobby and space is limited. Make your reservations by calling (330) 442-2898 or send an email to heritageaccord@gmail.com.
An interesting addition will be the WWII USO Preservation Association Historical Display. Their mission is to ‘represent the experiences of the women and men of the World War Two era USO through participation in living history displays, re-enactments, parades, and ceremonies.’ These members will come dressed in 40s attire, educate and entertain to keep the memories and importance of those years alive. Find more information about them on their website, http://www.ww2uso.org/.
Did you know that soldiers would record voice messages to their loved ones on paper? How was that done? What did those messages sound like? Hopefully, the public will be treated to a power point discussing this practice, as well as getting to hear a CD made from those paper records. History might just come to life for us to hear! Some USO Jr. Hostesses are hard at work getting the technology together for this!
You have just enough time to run home and get decked out in your best 1940’s attire and return, as doors open at 52 E. Quarry Street for the party at 5:00pm. The buffet dinner will run from approximately 5:30 to 6:30, with a cash bar serving beer, wine and soft drinks. Roby Lee’s is catering this event. Yum!
Be sure to bring your dancing shoes! The Rhythm Society will come all the way from Detroit to help you dance the night away. From their website: ‘The Rhythm Society is a 15 piece dance band specializing in true vintage swing music. Their sound is heavily influenced by Count Basie and Harry James. Although based in Detroit, this band covers top venues throughout the Midwest and has been featured on numerous television and radio programs.’ They will be dressed in casual military uniforms from that era, and play period music. Check them out at http://rhythmsociety.net/. Are your toes tapping yet?
Doors will close at approximately 10:00pm. Whew, what a long, fun day Heritage Accord has planned for us. State Senator Sandra O’Brien of District 32 will furnish remarks as her busy legislative schedule allows.
This sounds like an interesting, informative and fun evening. A Date Night to Remember! Interested? Tickets are $60.00 per person for the evening. Stop by Fieldview Acres at 36 W. Broad Street to purchase tickets in person. You can order them by phone at (330) 442-2898 or heritageaccord@gmail.com, and arrange payment, advanced pay tickets will be held at Will Call, but no tickets will be sold at the door.
Newton Falls Mayor W. Elmo Bailey stated in the January 18,1942 dedication of this building “One of the greatest preparedness programs in the history of our democracy is under way and this building was built to play a part in this program… We here in Newton Falls want to fulfill our duties in this great defense effort so as to bring credit to ourselves, our community and our own United States.” Now, we here in Newton Falls want to fulfill our commitment to preserve this building, celebrate our collective effort so far and renew our dedication to its restoration. Please join us.
