The Abrams M1A2SEP V2 Half Pint, seen here at its unveiling in Lima in 2018, will be on display at the Stage Door Canteen performance.
Sam Shriver | The Lima News (File)
LIMA — Lima’s Canteen was at the heart of American history.
Known for its Lima Locomotive Works, Lima also made history with the longest-lived WWII railroad canteen in the nation. It ran from 1942 to 1970 and served meals to four million U.S. servicemen during WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
For its belated 50th anniversary, the Lima Area Concert Band (LACB) will present ‘The Stage Door Canteen: A tribute to WWII’ on Saturday at the Civic Center. The venue will attempt to recreate that era and feeling. The doors will open at 6:15 p.m., food will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the band will begin playing at 7:30 p.m.
Ambiance, music and dancing
According to Angie Herzog, who helped oversee the event, an authentic parachute will be draped above the band, tables will feature patriotic red, white, and blue decorations, and a 3-minute, narrated video about the history of Lima’s Free Servicemen’s Canteen featuring images curated by Charles Bates at the Allen County Museum will be shown.
Cassie Collins will perform a vocal solo, ‘Embraceable You,’ by George and Ira Gershwin.
“The Betties and Belles,” swing band dancers from Columbus, will take the floor during the LACB’s performances of “Sing, Sing, Sing” and ‘In the Mood.’ The audience can dance to other favorites, like ‘Chattanooga Choo Choo,’ ‘Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree’ and ‘Someone to Watch Over Me.’
Abrams tank
During WWI, trench warfare dominated land-based strategic defense initiatives but became obsolete when the tank was invented. In 1940, The Lima Army Tank plant’s assembly line rolled off the first Abrams, which became a powerful force in WWII against the German Panthers and Tigers. The Joint Systems Manufacturing Center created the Abrams M1A2SEP V2 Half Pint, a one-half scale version of the battle tank that will be displayed at the event.
WWII reenactors
Bluffton-based WWII reenactors will be outfitted in authentic period uniforms and gear. They will demonstrate WWII military phones and a hand-cranked generator.
Confetti canon
The Lima Area Concert Band will conclude the evening, as they do many of their shows, with John Philip Sousa’s ‘Stars and Stripes Forever.’ A canon will shoot confetti.
Honorary tribute
James R. (Randy) Soules of the Lima Area Concert Band was a man with a vision. He wrote a 15-page proposal, the master plan, but died before it became a reality. Souls was fascinated by the era. According to his obituary, “If you knew Randy, you know he was passionate about many things: old war movies, setting up epic battles with his little green Army men, the TV show MASH (he could recite every line).”
“He really put it all together, so we’re doing it in his honor,” said Anne Decker, who worked with Souls on this project.
Over 400 tickets have already been sold. The cost for tickets is $25 and includes the dinner, except for students (including college students) who are admitted free of charge. Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center box office or online at limaareaconcertband.org/tickets. This event is included for season ticket holders.
