On Saturday, May 19, Shannon and Amanda Mahan, of Mac Tree Service, in Pemaquid, and a group of volunteers gathered at the Waldo Theatre for a spring clean up of the grounds and interior in advance of the theatre’s planned participation in Artwalk Waldoboro.

The grounds work of trimming brush around the exterior and parking lot of the theatre, removing old bushes, and taking down and chipping an old tree was done by Shannon Mahan, a licensed arborist with a bachelor’s degree in forest science from the University of Maine, assisted by his wife, Amanda.

They donated their time, expertise, and equipment to make quick work of cleaning up the grounds.

Penelope Crane, from the Waldoboro Garden Club, Steve Warren, of Pine Street Gardens, in Waldoboro, board members Sanford Crane and Bruce Metrick, Waldoboro Town Manager Julie Keizer, and Arvin Roen assisted with the work outside, edging and removing weeds. 

The rest of the volunteers worked inside to make it as inviting as possible, despite the much-needed renovations.

They scraped peeling paint, vacuumed, and focused on cleaning out the old concessions area with the aim of making space for artists to display work in anticipation of Artwalk Waldoboro and to ready the theatre for public tours. The Waldo Theatre has incredible wall space for hanging art and the board hopes to display the work of local artists regularly in the future. 

The Waldo Theatre plans to participate in Artwalk Waldoboro, which is on the second Saturday of the month, June-October, by hosting artwork from local artists, giving public tours of the theatre, having a children’s activity corner outside, and giving out fresh popcorn, thanks to the donation of a new popcorn machine by The Narrows Tavern.

They’ll also be putting on a movie night after artwalk, hosted by Odd Alewives Farm Brewery in Waldoboro. The public is encouraged to come out for the artwalks, starting on June 9, from 4-7 p.m. More information can be found at artwalkwaldoboro.com.  

The Waldo Theatre Board of Directors meets regularly on the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in Waldoboro. The meetings are open to the public and participation is encouraged. For more information, the board can be contacted by email at info@thewaldotheatre.org. You can also visit the theatre’s beautiful new website at waldotheatre.org.