The Arts in Lima - Allen County

Arts providers in Allen County foster a cohesive and collaborative network of artists and arts providers, delivering vibrant arts and cultural programming to all citizens.  The Allen County arts community offers performing arts, including music, theatre, and dance.  Visual arts , to include fine and applied arts as well as literary arts, including both traditional and folk art.  Allen County artists are working together to accomplish three goals, including: 

• Provide support for the delivery of comprehensive arts education to all area youth;
• Encourage and assist multicultural understanding and respect for difference through the medium of the arts; and
• Demonstrate the economic development potential in the growth of the arts and creative industries.

To learn more about what is happening in Lima-Allen County today, visit the Lima-Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

ARTSPACE/LIMA is the Allen County epicenter for the visual arts.  The mission of ARTSPACE / LIMA is to promote the arts to the citizens of West Central Ohio through excellence in exhibitions, education, and community events.   ARTSPACE / LIMA  is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing visual arts to the West Central Ohio region including: Allen, Auglaize, Darke, Hancock, Hardin, Logan, Mercer, Putnam, Shelby & Van Wert counties.  Our organization occupies a 130-year-old, three-story brick building in the North West quadrant of Town Square in Downtown Lima, Ohio.  Currently, Outsider Art by John Wade III is on exhibition from August 2 thru September 10, 2011.  An artist reception is scheduled for August 6 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at ARTSPACE/LIMA.

The Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center stands in Lima's Town Square and is the hub of the community's cultural life. It is the primary public assembly facility in West Central Ohio. Since  opening in 1984, more than 3 million people have attended over 10,000 events held here.

CROUSE PERFORMANCE HALL

The Crouse Performance Hall, a 1,697-seat proscenium theatre, is the setting for a host of entertainment events. The Hall is acoustically superb and can handle the most complex stage productions. It is the performance home of the Lima Symphony Orchestra, the Lima Area Concert Band and many other regional companies. The "Broadway in Lima" series brings top-quality Broadway tours to town. Family shows, concerts in all styles of music, dance performances, lectures, and movies -- the Crouse Performance Hall accommodates all these and more -- over 100 performances a year.

ALLEN COUNTY MEMORIAL HALL

One block south of the Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center is one of Lima's historic structure, Allen County Memorial Hall. Memorial Hall was built in 1908 and now on the National register of Historic Places. Memorial Hall's classic atmosphere has attracted many organizations to regularly hold events here. It has been the host of such events as the Blues Fest and Pickles Blues Extravaganza as well as events such as the Indoor Rally in the Square, art shows, fundraiser dinners, lectures, and ceremonial events like prayer services.

Encore Theatre

Lima is the home of live local theatre, starring local talent and classic performances.  Theatre guests understand the longevity of this local jewel, after attending just one performance.  The Amil Tellers of Dramatics started in 1932 when 12 people met to form a club for people interested in theatre. The name comes from "Amil" which is Lima spelled backwards and "teller" - one who tells a story.   On February 1, 1933, a charter was adopted and the first production was scheduled. In the mid 1930s, Amil Tellers also performed radio dramas on WBLY in Lima and WOWO in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.  In February 1939, the group was given the use of a carriage house just off Lakewood Avenue near Faurot Park, which became known as Stable Gables.  A stage was built and stalls were used for dressing rooms, while audio equipment was brought in for each show. There was no heat except for a pot-bellied stove and fireplace.  Plays were presented in the Stable Gables from 1938 to 1945; tickets cost 25 cents for each of the 55 - 60 seats in the house.  When the property sold in 1945, the Amil Tellers became roving players, until 1958 when Homer Reeder provided land to build the current theatre. In 1958, the melodrama, The Drunkard, was the first production at the Encore Theatre.

Leisure in Lima - Allen County

There is a smogasbord of leisure/entertainment venues for citizens of all ages . . . children, students, young adults, families, and senior citizens.  Whether citizens prefer to visit parks or restaurants, attend professional sports or school-related sports, gardening or just socializing with friends and family . . . it is all here in Allen County.

Lima Locos

Originally named the Lima Blues, the Lima Locos are one of the founding members of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. Playing a successful first season in 1987, a group of local businessmen from Lima, Ohio, purchased the Blues and changed the team's name to the Lima Locos.  Like other Summer Collegiate Baseball teams, the Lima Locos are dedicated and designed to providing minor league level competition for NCAA players that wish to continue on into professional baseball. The Locos operate in a similar manner to a minor league team: playing nightly in stadiums before fans, using wood bats and minor league specification equipment, and experience road trips between games. Like all other summer collegiate players, they are unpaid in order to maintain their NCAA eligibility and live with local host families.

Limaland Motorsports Park

Limaland Motorsports Park, owned by the University of Northwestern Ohio, is celebrating 76 years of racing action, making it one of the oldest racetracks in Ohio. The quarter mile, high banked, clay oval track serves as a learning laboratory for students in the college's educational track for High Performance Motorsports.  The season schedule includes the World of Outlaws Sprints, NRA Sprint Invaders, All-Star Sprints, and American Late Model Series, along with weekly sprints, modifieds, and stock cars. The premier event at Limaland every year is the Brad Doty Classic featuring the World of Outlaws.  Race day phone - 419-339-6249