Earlier in September, the Maine Preservation Society announced its 19th annual "Most Endangered Historic Places" list for 2017 and the Waldo Theatre had made the list.

While this may not be seen as an accomplishment in the traditional sense, it's an exciting milestone for the Board of Directors. Being recognized by the Maine Preservation Society as a historical property worth saving really sings praise to the hard work done by all the volunteers and supporters of the theatre over the last few years. It's truly inspiring to have such support for all the hard work done so far; and for the remaining work left to complete!

Last week,  we were lucky to have had the helping hands of Shannon Mahan and Andrew Federman of MAC Tree Service from Pemaquid to take down the hemlocks that had grown into the electrical wires.  The professionals, along with a group of volunteers, safely removed the tree from the side of the building. A big thank you goes out to MAC Tree Service and the volunteers for the wonderful job; the Waldo now stands prominent on Main Street, with tidy grounds! 

The dry summer has been helpful in stabilizing the Waldo with regard to moisture. Additional sump pumps, dehumidifiers, and fans were purchased at the onset of July. The management of both standing water and moisture in the air is now under control and most of the dampness is out of the building. Earlier this June, our Volunteer Work Day successfully removed most of the contents of the building into an external storage container. 

The priority moving forward is to now address the roof and the boiler system, as the building requires minimal heat during winter to maintain moisture balance.  In the next few weeks, we will launch our first capital campaign to "Raise the Roof" - a set goal of $100,000 to complete the tasks of roofing and establishing a working heating system. 

Planning on a year-end event is in the works.  So please stay tuned!