Four butterfly houses built for the center’s butterfly garden by members of the East Liverpool High School Wood shop class. (Submitted photo)

Art work on display at the community center created by art students of East Liverpool High School Art Teacher Margaret Meyers, who leads the Wednesday Morning Art Classes at the center this summer. (Submitted photo)

The HHH Foundation Board oversees the center. It has overcome many challenges such as the solid concrete structure, while exploiting its many attributes that the 60-year-old building still has to offer.

The use of the center has grown to the point that at times it has been necessary to turn away bookings because all six potential party and event areas were already booked. Some rentals are already being booked into 2024. Hundreds of visitors come to the center every week.

The rooms available to rent at the center that are air-conditioned include the Banquet Hall, the Auditorium, Farmers Room and the Scott Kidd Movie Theatre. The Art & Party Room, the Board Room and other special purpose rooms are comfortable except on the hottest days because of its concrete walls, floors and ceilings.

This month is proof of how much the center is being used. The Thursday Classic Movie Nite this past week was viewed by 20 enthusiasts who watched Andy Rooney racing in an early Indianapolis 500. As they left a dozen ladies from the aerobics class was also letting out and the Pottery Festival Queens Committee sponsored by the East Liverpool Kiwanis Club was wrapping up at the same time.

Two days before on Tuesday the East Liverpool Rotary Club held its weekly meeting and heard Dr. H. Gene Toot, former pastor of the Trinity Church, who spoke of its history. That evening the Farmers Room was also the site of the Legacy & Legends Lecture with Bill and Donna Grey. The Greys spoke about and displayed rare Harker Pottery ware and other pottery antique pieces produced locally many year ago. The Bridge Club had met at the center that morning.

The following day East Liverpool High School Art Instructor Margaret Meyers launched the first Art Class of the summer for about 20 students in the Art Party Room. Classes will be held through the summer on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. The classes are intended for pre-teen and early teenage students. There is a fee of $5 per session to cover the cost of materials. Advanced reservations are not required but recommended.

This past weekend there was a 50th anniversary celebration in the Banquet Hall and Bistro for Glenn and Cathy Wollam. The Wollams were married in the Trinity Church which is now the community center. With a graduation party on Saturday, these accounted for several hundred people at the center that weekend.

The second party of the weekend was a graduation party also held in the Banquet Hall. Rents are necessary to support operations of the property although for some, event usage is free. The graduation party paid rent but they were so pleased with the hall that they made a donation because “using the center has saved us so much money for the graduation party.”

This next weekend there will be another wedding reception in the Banquet Hall. On Saturday morning the Lions Club will meet in the Farmers Room and the N.A. Class will have its weekly meeting in its special room.

HHH Board member Linda Henderson chairs the project to create a Butterfly Garden outside the West Wing of the center. The garden has been planted with bushes to attract butterflies that will return next year. Henderson has obtained butterfly larva and she is mothering them through their birthing stage. Their release into the garden will be in early July. Butterflies return each year following their migration south. This will be a nice attraction for visitors to the center for many years to come.

The East Liverpool High School baseball team has ended its season. The center parking lot each year accommodates the visiting teams school buses, cars of baseball fans and during the practices throughout the season. Picking up the slack on the center parking lot will be the frequent appearance of orange cones used for drivers education and practice parking.

When you see abandoned churches, school buildings and other structures falling into disrepair around the community you should think of the former Trinity Presbyterian Church building and surrounding property that is now generating so many visitors every week. It is heartening for us to have so many people of all ages volunteering their time and energy to keep the center open 35 hours every week. There are additional volunteers who after hours care for the center and the grounds.

The community center really defines what it means for neighbors to care about their follow neighbors. New volunteers are joining in regularly. More volunteers are always welcome.