Community News

East Liverpool community center slips into 2024

EAST LIVERPOOL - With the arrival of wintry weather, many people are not thinking of going outside unless absolutely necessary. Volunteers at the East Liverpool Area Community & Learning Center who normally greet our visitors every day have been given the month of January off. The center will be opened by management only to answer phone requests for rentals and to assist with parties previously scheduled in one of the four center rental rooms and held during daylight hours. In February things return to normal but with some new twists.

The year 2024 promises to be an exciting one for the community center as it embarks on its eighth year of serving residents of the tri-state area. The center is not just a gathering place but offers a wide variety of events, programs, activities, displays and entertainment.

February will see the building return to its original purpose as place of worship every Sunday morning. Pastor Mike Direnzo with his large congregation of the Everyday Church are preparing to move from its present location in Chester. The majority of its members are from West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The Everyday Church will move its office to the center after redesigning and refurnishing the sanctuary at the center. The first service will be held Sunday, Feb. 4. "Pastor Mike" has stated that the church is moving to East Liverpool not intending to take its new members from existing churches in the community but will pursue its new members from the now greater community from among the many people there who are "the un-churched."

Last summer two young ladies, Amy Dunlap and Katie Muldoon, brought a new teaching concept to this area. On Saturday mornings the two offered two one-hour sessions for toddlers to experience music therapy. This involves providing calming activities and music for pre-school children and it was a great success. They had planned to repeat their program in the summer of 2024.

However due to the popularity of those classes they were talked into offering these classes now rather than waiting. Sessions will be offered each week from 4 to 5 p.m. beginning Jan. 22. Classes are already filled up but there might be a waiting list. Contact the center at 330-303-2110 and leave a message on the answering machine.

Thursday Nite Movies at the community center are held in the Craig Kidd Theatre with its surround sound, wide screen presentation. The movies were suspended due to early nightfall during wintry weather and because many attendees were seniors. However in February there will be a change in the day of the week and movies will become an Afternoon Matinee once each week.

However the Movie Theatre at the center keeps busy in the meantime with visitors stopping in at their convenience to select and enjoy a personal showing from among the thousands of videos in the Center Video Library. The theatre is available also for guests wanting to hold a Movie Party with their friends.

Exciting things that await visitors to the community center in January and beyond include massages for the elderly and those who want to address their aches and pains. Sharon Palmer has opened her massage parlor near the entrance to the center. She has a long list of satisfied patients. Palmer manipulates aching muscles of her clients primarily on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays by appointment.

In January the Aerobic Classes continue three evenings a week, offering professional instructors. It welcomes new members. Denise Person is available to tutor students by appointment. Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs continue to hold meetings each week, including January. On Saturday mornings a group meets to support and counsel their fellow members. This class has been a tenant since before the facility was a community center. Guardians of the Children continue to meet, holding programs monthly with their children.