Briggs Public Library to present Waterloo Wonders documentary
Published 11:00 pm Saturday, February 21, 2009
(Editor’s Note: The following story appeared in Thursday’s edition with an incorrect date).
IRONTON — The Waterloo Wonders documentary will be shown at the Ironton Branch of the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m.
The documentary was completed this fall and has been seen on the local PBS television station. The film documents the career of the Wonders and includes interviews with local residents who know the players as well as footage of the old Waterloo School.
It was 75 years ago that the Waterloo Wonders came out of the Lawrence County hills to become the most colorful and exciting basketball team in the history of Ohio high school basketball.
The boys in Waterloo got a little creative when it came to entertaining themselves. They tied rags together to make a basketball, hung bushel baskets in a barn, and learned to play the game of basketball — with a ball that wouldn’t bounce.
What came out of this endeavor was a group of boys who learned how to pass the ball so proficiently that no opponent could stop them. Individually, they were good basketball players, but together they made history, as they became Class B state champions in 1934 and 1935.
Their story is the focus of this documentary. Produced by WOUB, see how a small group of farm boys from Waterloo overcame obstacles to give hope to a region that had suffered greatly during one of the most difficult times in American history.
Fans have said the Wonders on a basketball court were a sight to see, the likes of which Ohio had never seen before. Or ever will see again.
For further information, please call the Ironton Library (740-532-1124). Copies of the DVD will be for sale at the end of the program.