The Wassenberg Art Center

The Wassenberg Art Center was founded by prosperous peony farmer, Charles Wassenberg, who died in 1954 and left a trust fund to establish an art center “where art could flourish in Van Wert as the peonies have flourished in my garden.” The Wassenberg Art Center presents an average of eight different and unique free exhibits each year. The art center has been favorably compared with upscale galleries in New York and other large cities.

A permanent exhibit, Faces of Little Bighorn, features the artwork of the late David Humphreys Miller, formerly of Van Wert who, as a young teenager became fascinated with the battle and started interviewing Lakota survivors of that pivotal American battle. His life’s work encompasses hundreds of painted portraits of the Lakota Sioux and Plains Indians. This exhibit consists of several original paintings, sketches, movie posters and film footage.

The Robert Brent Stevens Family has loaned the collection to the Wassenberg Art Center on a long‐term basis and will be a permanent exhibit. It will be the only exhibit of this accomplished artist and historian’s work in the nation. They also offer classes and workshops for people of all ages. Take a closer look.

Van Wert Civic Theater

Organized in 1959, the Van Wert Civic Theater is a mainstay in the cultural life of the Van Wert community. The award-winning Van Wert Civic Theatre is recognized as one of the premiere community theatres in the state of Ohio. As a member of the Ohio Community Theatre Association, VWCT has become a consistent winner of awards for both acting and technical performances in state-wide competition. The all-volunteer theatre group produces five shows per season, offering a balanced variety of comedy, drama and music, in their own 170-seat playhouse, and also sponsors a summer youth theatre program.

Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio

The amazement of diverse performing arts awaits guests who enter the doors of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center. The nearly $10 million facility opened in 2007 and houses a 1200 seat auditorium, 175 seat lecture hall, and an opulent spacious lobby. From the richness of the wood to the splendor of the marble, the facility is the perfect venue to showcase the thriving arts culture in Van Wert and beyond. The Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation has entertained the Northwest Ohio Region with seven years of compelling cultural programming specifically chosen to engage, educate and inspire. Owned by the Van Wert City Schools, the facility also offers a unique performing arts venue for the local school district. Learn more

St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church

In 1980, St. John's Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its architectural significance. Outside, the church's exterior is striking. Although many large Catholic churches are located in western Ohio, they are more typically built in the Gothic Revival style and such a large Romanesque Revival church is unique. It fills an entire city block, and its tower is by far the most prominent part of the community's skyline; accordingly, it has been likened to a cathedral. Leading features of the church's interior include a prominent rib vault, two rows of columns in the nave that are topped with Corinthian capitals, and an altar built to resemble that of Rome's Basilica di San Clemente. Tours may be arranged by calling the church office..Get a better look here.

The Delphos Area Art Guild

The Delphos Area Art Guild offers consistent, seasonal classes, workshops, event and exhibits to Delphos and surrounding communities! Their classes and workshops range from Fine Art, Fiber Arts, Dance, Music, Drama, Ceramics, Jewelry Making and so much more!

The Bachwell Center for Music and Dance

This center for the performing arts provides private lessons in piano, voice, guitar, and oboe, along with a dance academy for children and adults. The Bachwell will eventually be expanded to include recording capabilities, suitable for soloists as well as multi-instrumentalist bands and full-scale music production. The Bachwell is also be available for community events.

The Murals of Oscar Velasquez Main & Fifth Streets - Delphos

You will find Mr. Velasquez’s unique style and massive murals on numerous businesses, museums, and university buildings from Ohio to Bosnia.

1. As a backdrop to the Delphos Veterans’ Memorial is a three‐story mural that adorns the north face of the Delphos Herald Newspaper building. The scene depicts the early days of the Miami Erie Canal, a waterway that serves as the western boundary of the property.
2. Diagonally across the intersection of Fifth and Main streets is another Valaquez mural that shows the turn of the 20th century scene of a local “mom and pop” grocery, filling station and post office. This mural is adjacent to the Lincoln Highway Control Station sign that is on the Firestone Tire building.
3. A third mural that was once in the lobby of the Delphos Post Office is now the first thing visitors see upon entering the Museum of Postal History. It is a huge mural of the downtown that surrounds this 1933 James A. Farley‐style post office.

Gymanfa Ganu

Venedocia, a small community 11 miles southeast of Van Wert, celebrates its Welsh heritage with a Gymanfa Ganu, a Welsh festival of song, held every year on the Sunday evening of Labor Day weekend. It has been an annual event since at least 1915.

The Gyumanfa Ganu is the biggest event of the year in Venedocia. People from all over Ohio and from many other states swell the village to several times its usual population as they pack into the Salem Presbyterian Church to sing in four part harmony. The church thunders with hundreds of voices praising the Lord with English and Welsh language hymns. The front doors of the church are left open and you can hear the singing a mile away to the east. Very few participants actually speak or understand Welsh, but you are given a Welsh hymn book which makes it easy follow along. A choral director and guest soloists, often Welsh natives, are part of the program.

Community Concert Series

Each year, the Community Concert Association brings Carnegie Hall quality music to Van Wert. For over 50 years, the residents of Van Wert and the surrounding area have been treated to four or five excellent performances from September to May. Attendance at the concert series is by membership only and, with the opening of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio, membership in the association will be open to increasing numbers of interested music-lovers.

Off Stage Productions

Off Stage Productions, "Where theatre comes to life", presents two to three dinner theater shows each season. The meal is a buffet dinner, while the shows are usually comedies with adult themes. Performances fill up quickly, and reservations are required. For more information visit their web site at www.offstagethreatre.com.

Fountain Park Summer Music Series

Fountain Park, located on the west side of downtown Van Wert, provides a beautiful setting for outside summer concerts. Surrounded by trees, park benches, and a fountain, the park’s amphitheater offers a wonderful outdoor concert setting.

All concerts in the Fountain Park Music Series are free to the public, sponsored by The Van Wert County Foundation. Most concerts offer a menu of summer cuisine, served by local churches and charitable organizations. Picnic tables are available, but you are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket and relax to some beautiful music and enjoy good food with friends, under the stars.

Garden of the Senses

The Master Gardeners of Van Wert have created a garden in downtown Van Wert, located in an empty lot between two businesses that had been used as a parking lot. This lovely oasis, called the Garden of the Senses, today contains trees, flowers, herbs, and shrubs with raised beds and brick walkways curving around the flowers and trees with benches to stop and rest and enjoy the peacefulness of the garden. A pergola was built on the spot, which in the summer is adorned with hanging baskets and during the Christmas season houses a stately decorated Christmas tree. The Garden of the Senses can be viewed on Main Street just east of the 133 Bistro

Music in the Park - Delphos

A variety of music genre will entertain the crowd at the Music in the Park Series in Stadium Park in Delphos, Ohio. A short 16 mile drive to Delphos will allow you to enjoy concerts ranging from waltzes and polkas to Celtic traditions to jazz and big band music.

Southern Gospel Music Expo

Four consecutive nights of Gospel music each spring. Hosted by the group, Trinity, the event features gospel artists from across the country. Held in the Family Life Center of Trinity Friends Church, the concerts run from Thursday evening through Sunday evening.