Friday, February 16, 2018

Ice in the alley

The alley opposite the CourtHouse that connects Van Rensselaer and Front Streets used to host an event called Art in the Alley. This past week it hosted ice in the alley.
 These pictures were taken on Monday when we still had lots of snow on the ground and cold temperatures.
 Lots of other buildings in Rensselaer also had impressive displays of icicles.
 Around the corner the sign for the Ritz theater reveals that it was not always the Ritz.
Thursday was very warm and the warm air over the snow created dense fog. Local schools were first on a two hour delay and then, when the fog did not lift enough, they canceled. We had some rain about noon and the fog returned in the late afternoon. The warmth and rain melted most of our snow.
Can you tell where the picture above was taken? You would have no problem if the fog were not there.

The Jasper County Historical Society has scheduled a three part series called "World War I at Home and Abroad". Part 1 will be part of the monthly meeting at the Historical Society Museum on Feb 20 at 6:30 pm. Part 2 will be held at the Rensselaer Library on March 7 at 6:00 pm and will focus on food and rationing during WWI. The last part will also be at the Rensselaer Library. It will discuss the men and women of Jasper County served in the war. Its date is April 24 at 6:00 pm. Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be served.

WWI is the subject of the current exhibit at the Historical Society's Museum. On November 11 we will celebrate the centennial of the armistice that ended the "War to End All Wars."

2 comments:

  1. It was the Palace back in the 70's wasn't it ?

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  2. Yes, the current Ritz theater was originally the Palace theater from around 1950 to when it was closed and then re-opened as the Ritz. The Palace Theatre, later Ritz Cinema, opened in 1928 and closed in 1983 “for renovations” that never happened. It was featured in Michael Putnam’s book Silent Screens in a 1985 night-time photo. But it was cleaned and renovated by a new owner, renamed the Ritz Cinema, and reopened on January 26, 2007 with “Rocky Balboa”.

    The original Ritz theater was on West Washington Street about where the Fenwick Farms Brewing Company is or just a building or two to its right, i.e. nearer the river. The old Ritz theater was occupied by Eschlemann's electronics in the 60s and sold tv sets and other appliances.

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