On Sunday, Jan. 10, the four community organizations that share space in the Community Center at Landmark on Main Street came together to celebrate a very special anniversary. Landmark on Main Street Inc., the Port Washington Children’s Center, the Parent Resource Center (PRC) and the Youth Council’s Teen Center (PiT), pulled out all the stops to provide an afternoon of free activities for the entire family.
With support from staff, board and community members and businesses, the community was treated to crafts in the Children’s Center, open play and music with Lynda Quinn in the PRC and a highly competitive video game tournament in the gym organized by the PiT. Community performing artists taking the stage in the Rimsky Theater included students from HEARTS’ Curtain’s Up acting program, Nathan’s hip hop classes and Diana VonRoeschlaub’s singing and improv, along with musicians Hat Trixx, Jeff Sorg and Chuck Idol.
The afternoon closed with a wings-eating contest sponsored by Wings Plus. Each organization fielded a two-person team. The eaters were fierce and focused, but in the end the team from the PiT was victorious, followed closely by the Landmark duo, the Children’s Center pair and the PRC pair. Winners received gift certificates donated by Wings Plus.
The celebration recognized that special moment 20 years ago when Port Washington came together to dedicate the repurposed and renewed Landmark on Main Street. Built in 1908, this historic building was originally the Main Street School where thousands of Port students were educated until it closed in 1985. A grassroots movement saved the building from demolition and transformed it into a multipurpose residential and community center that opened in 1995. Today, Landmark is a vital and beloved community resource.
The Landmark Community Center occupies the lower floors of the
old school. Within this space are the 425-seat Jeanne Rimsky Theater (40-plus concerts and shows each year), the Doctors’ Gym (full basketball court), Children’s Center (day care, after-school and camp programs), PRC (year-round cooperative activities for young children) and the PiT (Teen Center).
Organizers Laura Mogul (Landmark), Donna Preminger (Children’s Center), Mike Donnelly (PiT) and Carole McDonald Gilmour (PRC) would like to thank all those who generously donated their time and resources to make this celebration possible.
