We’ve long said that at the heart and soul of our community are the people who live and work here. They are the ones who make us unique and the ones who drive our community to thrive. If they are the heart and soul, then the supporting organizations are the heartbeat – the thing that keeps them alive.
Our community is rich in the arts – including visual, literary, and performance. And through our heritage and cultural organizations our community embraces the past and uses it to drive the future, using the lessons learned to grow.
Every quarter organizations that comprise the newly-created Arts and Heritage Council will share updates from their organizations, including the many cases where they join forces to collaborate. Stay up-to-date on the happenings of upcoming events, workshops, and what they are working on to better or community! Sign up to receive this quarterly newsletter emailed to you!
Updates from Marathon Center for the Performing Arts


Updates from Mazza Museum
Mazza Museum’s Funday Sunday will take place on Sunday, Nov. 4 from 1:30-3:30 pm. The theme of the November event is “Pay it Forward.” The Hancock County Community Foundation will be donating a free book for every child who attends. Fun stations such as arts and crafts, music, story reading, games, and face painting will be part of the free event, thanks to our sponsor, Fifth Third Bank. More information on Funday Sunday can be found here.
Mazza Museum will be holding its Annual Weekend Conference, November 9 & 10 on the campus of The University of Findlay. The Museum will be featuring six keynote speakers from the world of picture books. Friday, November 9, David A. Carter, paper engineer, will be receiving the Mazza Medallion of Excellence, a biennial award given to an illustrator of picture books who has used diverse art styles in their body of work. On Saturday, a mix of authors and illustrators will be taking the stage to share the background behind their stories and processes. Books by the authors and illustrators will be available for purchase and signing in the Mazza Gift Shop. Click here to learn more.
Following the presentations on Saturday, November 10, Mazza Museum will be holding an Art Auction where individuals can bid on original art donated by illustrators of picture books. The preview is from 5:30-6 pm with the auction beginning at 6:00 pm. To register and see the art that will be available for bidding, click here.
Jan Brett will be on a cross-country book tour showcasing her latest title, The Snowy Nap. The superstar picture book creator will be making only 2 stops in Ohio, one of which is Findlay’s own, Mazza Museum. The signing event will begin at 10 am with a brief talk by Brett followed by autographing until noon. Brett will only be signing copies of The Snowy Nap, which will be for sale in the Mazza Gift Shop. For more information on the event and registration, click here.
Updates from Findlay-Hancock County Public Library

Updates from University of Findlay

Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay
Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay
Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay
Winebrenner Theological Seminary at the University of Findlay
Donnell Theatre at Marathon Performing Arts Center
Updates from Findlay Light Opera
The Findlay Light Opera Company has returned Home.
The Findlay Light Opera Company was founded on March 15, 1988. Since that time, FLOC has produced twenty-nine operettas and musicals, provided performing opportunities for hundreds of actors, musicians, and technical crews, and entertained thousands of our families, friends, and neighbors. From our humble beginnings of Trial by Jury in Judge Walker’s courtroom, to flying across Central Auditorium in Peter Pan, and even watching a quintet of nuns take over a local bar in Nunsense, we have had a wonderful opportunity to contribute to our community’s rich theatre history.
However, with financial challenges, the Flood of 2007, losing almost all property, and the closing of Central Auditorium, we were nearly certain that FLOC was no longer to be a fixture of our local performing arts culture. All that physically remained were a few photo albums and a set of scores from The Pirates of Penzance. But what transcended this loss was a dream that FLOC would once again flourish. We knew there were plans to create a grand performing arts center in Findlay and this fueled our motivation to hold onto the vision of our organization’s founders.
As we celebrate our thirtieth anniversary this year, we are filled with joy as FLOC has “come home” to Central Auditorium – now the acclaimed Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. We offer our gratitude to Heather Clow and her staff for sharing our desire to bring community theatre to MCPA. Through this partnership, FLOC will soon be just as grand as it was for so many years.
We began the 2018-2019 Season with the cabaret, “With a Song in My Heart,” directed by Kathy Newell. This performance (9/21/18), showcasing many of the most beloved musical numbers throughout FLOC’s history, played to a sold-out house and included a cast and crew of over forty community members, ages 8-89.
Continuing our cabaret series will be, “A Hometown Holiday,” for a one-night only performance on Friday, December 7, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Join us as we journey with one family as the discover, through traditional, classic, and popular holiday music, what it means to be “home for the holidays.”
FLOC will finish the season with two additional cabarets, “Up In Armes: Findlay’s Notorious Speakeasy,” directed by Julie Lane (3/22/19) and “Hitchhiking Across America: A Contemporary Cabaret,” directed by Meriah Sage (6/14/19).
We are also excited to share that FLOC will continue as part of the 2019-2020 season at MCPA with two larger-scale productions, leading to the return of our grand summer musical tradition.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.mcpa.org.
Updates from The Gaslight Gallery Art Studio
Updates from First Presbyterian Church

