Close Encounters Night at the North Baldwin Chamber

Facelift Fundraising for Bay Minette Landmark

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Posted 6/15/17

Bay Minette – It has been 30 years since the L&N Depot was moved to its current location. Thirty years since business, city and community leaders came together to ‘Save the Depot.’ The L&N …

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Close Encounters Night at the North Baldwin Chamber

Facelift Fundraising for Bay Minette Landmark

Posted

Bay Minette – It has been 30 years since the L&N Depot was moved to its current location. Thirty years since business, city and community leaders came together to ‘Save the Depot.’ The L&N Depot, an iconic Bay Minette Landmark, has been home to the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce offices and has also served as an information center for the City of Bay Minette (in much of the same way it did when Bay Minette was first settled, as the Depot was home to the telegraph office) ever since the big move. Now, 30 years later the beloved building is in need of a little TLC.

Earlier this year, the City of Bay Minette began the facelift process and replaced the roof of the Depot. The North Baldwin Chamber appreciates the City taking the first step in a long line of much needed repairs. The wish list for the landmark includes replacing siding boards, a fresh coat of paint and eventually new decking, landscaping and windows.

Just as the community worked so hard to preserve the depot so many years ago, the North Baldwin Chamber Foundation is working to raise funds to ensure a long life for the building so that many more generations of citizens and visitors can enjoy its history and beauty.

Staying with nostalgia, the Chamber Foundation will be hosting ‘Close Encounters Night at the Chamber’ on Friday, June 23rd, beginning at 6pm and complete with a cornhole tournament, silent auction, Q&A panel and of course an outdoor screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind at 8pm.

For those who do not know, the L&N Depot is a movie star. In 1977 Steven Spielberg chose downtown Bay Minette and the old Depot (because of its gingerbread molding) for the evacuation scene in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Our Depot along with many locals experienced Hollywood magic right here in North Baldwin.

“We invite everyone to come out and be a part of Close Encounters Night,” said Executive Director Ashley Jones Davis. “We hope that this event will spark great memories for locals and a way to share those memories with their families and neighbors all while raising funds for a much-needed facelift.”

The screening of the movie is free of charge and concessions will be available for purchase. All proceeds from the event, from concessions to the silent auction, will be placed in a special Depot Fund through the North Baldwin Chamber Foundation.

The North Baldwin Chamber Foundation has a goal of raising a minimum of $50,000 over the next year to put towards a facelift for the Depot. Other events in addition to Close Encounters Night will be scheduled throughout the year to benefit the project. If you would like to make a designated donation to the Facelift Fundraising Project, please contact Ashley Jones Davis at the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce at 251-937-5665 ext. 2.