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KIDRON COMMUNITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY: Sonnenberg Village begins new year with three ‘gifts’

PHOTO PROVIDED
A grant from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission will help with the Gerber Barn to be installed at Sonnenberg Village next to the Lehman House.

Christmas came early for the Kidron Community Historical Society and Sonnenberg Village this year.

First, Art Neuenschwander, board president of the historical society, announced that the society was successful in receiving an $80,000 grant from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for the Gerber Barn removal to Sonnenberg Village. The barn, which is dated 1847, will join other historical buildings along Hackett Road just outside of Kidron.

The grant will allow the society to begin dismantling the barn this spring and rebuild by the fall in its new location near the Lehman House. Plans have been drawn and the society will begin the permit process. Moving the barn has been a wish since the beginning of Sonnenberg Village, according to a news release provided by Ray Leisy, project manager at Sonnenberg Village.

“We would like to thank Ohio State Senator Kristina D. Roegner and Ohio State Representative Scott Wiggam for their support and assistance in securing the grant,” Leisy wrote in the release.

Second, the historical society decided to improve the general lighting and install stage lighting in the Welcome Center. This will improve the lighting for events and allow the production of more programs on the stage. This should also increase the rental of the building for more events and for more flexibility for events on the stage.

Kidron Electric has designed a lighting system with 15 different circuits for the most flexibility in lighting for any occasion. Volunteer electricians will begin installation this month.

“We learned two weeks ago that we had a matching donor gift to match the generous year-end donations of society members and that we had reached our goal of $20,000,” Leisy wrote.

The third gift came with a notice by the Kidron Fire Department that they are beginning construction of their new station and that the society could have the Moser Buggy Shop if it’s moved by Jan. 1. The society obtained all of the required permits and will move it in two pieces into the Village. A foundation will be built and repairs will begin this spring.

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