The Ohio Theatre will hold its Haunted Halloween Party starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Submitted Photo | Courtesy of the Ohio Theatre
LIMA — It has been a long time coming, but the Ohio Theatre will finally have its first big event under new ownership.
For Michael Bouson, who runs the Avant Garage Theatre Company that bought the theatre, it will mean a lot to welcome everyone to the Haunted Halloween Party at 6 p.m. Saturday.
“Well, to be honest with you, we spent more than a year scouring the country looking for a theatre to buy and rehabilitate and turn into our dining and entertainment complex that we had planned for the Ohio Theatre,” Bouson said. “We’ve literally spent 23 months restoring, renovating, cleaning and reimagining this building which was under terrible, terrible distress and it took every ounce of time, money and energy.”
While the owners are relieved to be past the initial renovations, they are equally as excited to bring this new event to the public, as well as other events yet to come.
“We’re just super-energized about the future,” Bouson said. “After the small things that we’ve done leading up to this, having a group of 50 or 60 or even 75 people in that building has really been amazing. So when you have this larger event, which is what the Ohio Theatre should really be known for, you just celebrate.”
For anyone interested in the party, which will feature performers including local band No Right Turn and comedian Jodi McDermitt, there will also be a costume contest, drink specials, food discounts and tricks and treats.
Bouson said that the theatre tried to put on this event last year, but could not due to the pandemic.
“The Ohio Theatre is kind of famous for their Hollywood past,” he said. “And we wanted to do one last year, even before we were ready. But COVID just beat us up too badly. This year we actually have beautifully restored restrooms. We’ve been operating for seven weeks so we’ve got our mechanics at the bar down. The kitchen is flourishing, pumping out the food every night. So we feel confident and ready to hold an event of this size.”
Tickets for the party are limited and are being sold online only on the Ohio Theatre website. No tickets will be sold at the door.
Attendees must be 21 or older, and I.D. is required.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Haunted Halloween Party
WHEN: 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday
WHERE: Ohio Theatre, 122 W. North St., Lima
Tickets are $20 and are available only at http://www.ohiotheatrelima.com.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 597-242-0399.
