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Footage from the Feb. 17, 1956 boys basketball game between Celina and St. Marys is shown on the screen of the St. Marys Theatre/Grand Opera House. Restored film from three Celina-St. Marys games from the 1950s will be shown Feb. 21. This year's Celina-St. Marys game will be played on Feb. 23.
ST. MARYS - Fans of the Grand Lake Rivalry will get a chance to see their teams face off from 70 years ago next week.
The St. Marys Theatre/Grand Opera House will host a night of basketball game films featuring Celina and St. Marys from three seasons in the 1950s on Feb. 21 starting at 6:30 p.m.
The process of finding these films - and restoring them to be processed digitally - came through Doug Spencer and Mike and Kelly Jay's work for the basketball Hall of Fame at Memorial High School. While interviewing former St. Marys player and coach Don Burgess, he revealed that he had taken some of the 16-millimeter reels before he left for another job.
"They had wooden racks with all these (reels). He thought (since) they would eventually throw them away, he'd grab a couple when he played and (the 1951 meeting) because his childhood hero was Dean Cook," said Mike Jay. "When he was interviewed for the Hall of Fame, he was carrying a leather box with a big buckle, it was like Indiana Jones. In it was like five 16mm game films from the 1950s."
"He said they were sitting in his basement for the last 50 years and if we had any use for these," continued Kelly Jay. "We about dropped."
During another interview, former Roughrider Ray Graves mentioned he had some game films in his basement. In all, seven game reels were in the hands of Spencer and the Jays. Later, they acquired two more reels, including the 1960-61 Celina-St. Marys game from the Fieldhouse. Videos from some early 1980s contests were also discovered.
The other reels feature games with Bellefontaine, Coldwater (then WBL members), Piqua and Defiance as well as a partial clip of a game with Wapakoneta.
Contacting St. Marys graduate Greg Helmstetter, who is the operations manager of the Film Study Center at New York University, the process of preserving the films was underway.
"The one thing I learned from Greg was that the first thing was to take the reel and smell it. If it's a vinegar smell, we've got trouble," said Spencer. "I sniffed it and though 'Oh, gosh. This is terrible.' Then I could see it was deformed on the reel. I sent (Helmstetter) photos and he said to get it to him. He was our point man to get them to the company (that could repair the film)."
The process took four months, at a cost of $3,050 to get the films restored and digitalized. MinsterBank, the St. Marys Alumni Foundation, Tom Poetter and the Rider Nation Station, which airs St. Marys sporting events online, helped contribute to the restoration process.
A 16 mm film reel featuring some of St. Marys's standout players of the 1950s.
The first three restored films feature Celina and St. Marys from the 1951-52, 1953-54 and 1955-56 seasons. The first game, from Feb. 16, 1952, was played at the Celina Fieldhouse. The footage shows the different aspects from the 1950s game from today's game, including the narrow six-foot foul lane that inspired the nickname "the key." St. Marys won the game 53-44 to clinch a share of the Western Buckeye League title.
The other two films were from games at McBroom Gymnasium in St. Marys, which was built just a couple of years before. A noticeable change was the lack of end zone bleachers for students. Instead, the doors led directly to the outside. St. Marys won the Feb. 19, 1954 meeting 60-48. The final game will be from Feb. 17, 1956, which was won by St. Marys 80-47 to clinch another WBL title.
"I've gone through writing down play-by-play (from the games)," said Kelly Jay, who researched the games through the newspapers, including the mircofilm archives of The Daily Standard at the Mercer County Public Library, and yearbooks to identify the players by their jersey numbers if possible.
With Celina and St. Marys facing off on Feb. 23 at Grand Lake Health Systems Court in the regular season finale, the timing was right for the viewing.
"Celina-St. Marys week, it's the perfect time," said Mike Jay.
"Last season, I mentioned it," said Spencer. "They went to work to figure out a time to do it."
The Jays and Spencer are hoping to see some Celina fans - and possibly both current teams - attending the event with the chance of seeing family play. Mercer County commissioner Jerry Laffin, a member of the 1955-56 Bulldogs, could be in attendance for the event.
"I would love if both varsity squads would come and see what this rivalry was like years ago," said Spencer. "I think it would be neat for young kids see what this game was all about."
Kelly Jay hopes that the presentation will bring the possibility of additional films being discovered.
"Bring them over. We'd love to show them," said Kelly Jay.
A freewill donation will be accepted at the door. Spencer said the doors of the theatre will open at 5:30 p.m.
