SUBMITTED PHOTO Showboat gets big boost -...

Showboat gets big boost BY KATHLEEN PAKARINEN [email protected] e Aitkin Area Chamber of Commerce was awarded a $10,000 Cultural and Tourism matching grant from the Iron Range Resources and Reha- bilitation Board (IRRRB) to restore the Showboat of the Mississippi. e chamber, with help from its members, purchased the showboat in October 2015. e chamber hopes to complete the project by mid-summer 2017. e boat came with 60 years of costumes, sound equipment, lighting, bench seating for 1,000, a showboat parade float and much more that was involved with vaude- ville shows, performed on the banks of the river in Grand Rapids. e boat currently is being stored free, compli- ments of Aitkin Rental, and the company has offered the chamber use of their equipment during restoration as an in-kind donation. “e 16-by-45-foot showboat is structurally sound, however, it will need a lot of attention to get it back to what it was and that’s what we are going to do,” said chamber and showboat board member, Jeff Tidholm. Restoration will include site work at the Aitkin County Fairgrounds, the new home of the showboat. e boat needs to be completely re- painted and the restoration project includes electrical, poured concrete and a new roof. A stage will be con- structed in order to host community events such as family musical performances, out- door plays, movie picnics, Riverboat Days events and much more. e project will also include landscaping and fencing. e grant received is a matching grant. e chamber estimates the project will be approximately $20,000. e chamber is responsible for $10,000 and the grant will provide $10,000. Several indi- viduals and businesses have offered in-kind donations to assist with the project. e chamber also created a non-profit organization, “Showboat of the Missis- sippi,” to help with future grants in the performing arts. e non-profit will be responsible for programming while the Aitkin Chamber will own the boat itself. Board members of the Showboat of the Mississippi currently include Tidholm, Amanda MacDonald, Kim Jones, Sharon Dotzler and Kari Paulson. ere are plans to add more people interested in being committee members in the spring when the restoration project really ramps up. “We are grateful to the IRRRB for believing in our project, we believe the showboat will be an asset to our community, especially with our history of being a riverboat town. We believe it will provide opportunities for tourism and, of course, in- creased awareness of the arts,” said Chamber Director MacDonald. “Community support is appreciated and we are always looking for vol- unteers or business donations … Any and all help will move the project along faster.” For a contribution of $25, the public is invited to become a "Friend of the Show- boat." Visit Aitkin.com and click on the “Showboat” to become a Friend of the Show- boat. Also on the site is a short “fun” video, filmed during the purchase of the “Showboat of the Mississippi.” SUBMITTED PHOTO The new grant will help the Aitkin chamber with plans to restore the showboat to its former glory, to the way it looked when it was used for events like the one shown above. JEFF TIDHOLM PHOTO The showboat in its current state of disrepair. Aitkin Chamber receives $10,000 grant from IRRRB to help return Showboat of Mississippi to former glory

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Transcript of SUBMITTED PHOTO Showboat gets big boost -...

Showboat gets big boost

BY KATHLEEN [email protected]

e Aitkin Area Chamberof Commerce was awarded a$10,000 Cultural and Tourismmatching grant from the IronRange Resources and Reha-bilitation Board (IRRRB) torestore the Showboat of theMississippi. e chamber,with help from its members,purchased the showboat inOctober 2015. e chamberhopes to complete the projectby mid-summer 2017.

e boat came with 60years of costumes, soundequipment, lighting, benchseating for 1,000, a showboatparade float and much morethat was involved with vaude-ville shows, performed on thebanks of the river in GrandRapids. e boat currently isbeing stored free, compli-ments of Aitkin Rental, andthe company has offered thechamber use of their equip-ment during restoration as anin-kind donation.

“e 16-by-45-foot show-boat is structurally sound,however, it will need a lot ofattention to get it back towhat it was and that’s whatwe are going to do,” saidchamber and showboatboard member, Jeff Tidholm.

Restoration will includesite work at the Aitkin CountyFairgrounds, the new homeof the showboat. e boat

needs to be completely re-painted and the restorationproject includes electrical,poured concrete and a newroof. A stage will be con-structed in order to host com-munity events such as familymusical performances, out-door plays, movie picnics,Riverboat Days events andmuch more. e project willalso include landscaping andfencing.

e grant received is amatching grant. e chamberestimates the project will beapproximately $20,000. echamber is responsible for$10,000 and the grant willprovide $10,000. Several indi-

viduals and businesses haveoffered in-kind donations toassist with the project.

e chamber also created anon-profit organization,“Showboat of the Missis-sippi,” to help with futuregrants in the performing arts.e non-profit will be re-sponsible for programmingwhile the Aitkin Chamber willown the boat itself. Boardmembers of the Showboat ofthe Mississippi currently in-clude Tidholm, AmandaMacDonald, Kim Jones,Sharon Dotzler and KariPaulson. ere are plans toadd more people interestedin being committee membersin the spring when therestoration project reallyramps up.

“We are grateful to theIRRRB for believing in ourproject, we believe the show-

boat will be an asset to ourcommunity, especially withour history of being a river-boat town. We believe it willprovide opportunities fortourism and, of course, in-creased awareness of thearts,” said Chamber DirectorMacDonald. “Communitysupport is appreciated andwe are always looking for vol-unteers or business dona-tions … Any and all help willmove the project alongfaster.”

For a contribution of $25,the public is invited to be-come a "Friend of the Show-boat." Visit Aitkin.com andclick on the “Showboat” tobecome a Friend of the Show-boat. Also on the site is a short“fun” video, filmed during thepurchase of the “Showboat ofthe Mississippi.”

SUBMITTED PHOTOThe new grant will help the Aitkin chamber with plans to restore the showboat to its former glory, to the way itlooked when it was used for events like the one shown above.

JEFF TIDHOLM PHOTOThe showboat in its current state of disrepair.

Aitkin Chamber receives $10,000 grant from IRRRB to help return Showboat of Mississippi to former glory