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PHOTO: The Magic Lantern 4-H Learning Center in Bridgton will expand opportunities for Lake Region youth. (UMaine Cooperative Extension 4-H photo)
BRIDGTON – The two-year effort to transform the Magic Lantern theater into an innovation lab and learning center is complete.
Ownership of the 11 Depot St. property was transferred to the Maine 4-H Foundation to become a new 4-H Learning Center on Oct. 14. The property, worth $2.97 million, was donated by owner Snapdragon LLC.
The center, which will be led by University of Maine Cooperative Extension, will provide a hub of creative activity for rural youth in the Lake Region. It will open as soon as the new licenses are in place.
The Magic Lantern will continue to offer a three-auditorium theater, a restaurant with movie projection capabilities and a venue for community engagement. The UMaine Extension 4-H youth development program will increase its educational offerings and outreach to schools and educational nonprofit organizations with the new venue.
In addition, high school and college-age students will have opportunities to gain experience in theater, engineering, small business management, marketing and culinary arts, as well as make connections with local nonprofit and for-profit entities.
The goal is to have revenue from the Magic Lantern theater and restaurant support the building and fund local youth education and community programs, making it as self-sustaining as possible.
“Our intention has always been to promote entertainment, culture and education through the Magic Lantern. We lit the torch; 4-H and the University of Maine will continue to run with it. We couldn’t be happier,” said Magic Lantern co-owner Frank Howell.
Snapdragon LLC opened the theater in February 2008 as a community center with state-of-the-art technology, including high-definition projection and sound systems.
Both Snapdragon and the Howell family have made a tremendous donation in making this new project a reality, said Susan Jennings, Maine 4-H Foundation executive director.
The planning team behind the project also included community volunteers and input from school superintendents, headmasters and nonprofit and foundation leaders and educators.
“This new 4-H learning center will grow to offer new and exciting programs for youth in the Lake Region and connect with our statewide network of learning centers and county Extension offices,” said Maine 4-H Foundation president Carla Lafayette. “It is an incredible opportunity for the entire community and one we will continue to raise funds for as we expand programming.”
The overarching goal is to increase affordable educational opportunities for rural youth in western Maine, Jennings said.
For information, contact the Maine 4-H Foundation, 207-615-7300; susan.jennings@maine.edu. To view a video about the initiative, visit extension.umaine.edu/4hfoundation/magic-lantern.
