In a one-night-only event, the Earl D. Rabold collection of vintage photographs from Bowling Green in the early 1900s will be showcased in a presentation at the Capitol Arts Center.

A slide show of nearly 3,500 photos from the collection will be projected onto the theater’s big screen from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Bobby Rabold, who found his grandfather’s negatives, and Ben Runner, who scanned and digitized the photos for viewing, will deliver remarks after the presentation.

Bobby Rabold will also display about 30 of his favorite photos and host a Q&A session with the audience at 6 p.m.

About 15 years ago, he found the thousands of negatives when he was cleaning out the Princess Building in downtown Bowling Green. For the past few years, he has worked to present them to the public.

“From my perspective, you are looking at the way things were from over 100 years ago,” Bobby Rabold said. “Many of these scenes are from downtown Bowling Green and of Western Kentucky University. The history of the way Bowling Green looked over 100 years ago is compelling to most people, and black and white images are very popular as well.”

The Capitol presentation will be free in the hope many will recognize individuals in the photos.

Bobby Rabold said he first used the discovery as a way to learn more about his grandfather. He then slowly realized the need to share the images with the general public.

“Time flies, and if you don’t try to maintain history – it will be lost,” he said. “This is just a piece of history that through this process I’m trying to maintain. I don’t want it to be lost. It gives me great appreciation and insight into my grandfather as he was as a young man. I got to see that for the first time looking at these images.”

Several selections from the collection are currently on display on the walls of the Capitol Arts Center, but Bobby Rabold said they will be taken down after the presentation.

He said Runner should receive much of the credit for restoring many of the images and bringing them to life.

“I’m just the lucky guy who found these,” Bobby Rabold said. “If it wasn’t for Ben’s hard work, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It took him over one year to digitize all of them. It was extremely laborious on Ben’s part.”

Ginger Knight, manager of major events for the Warren County Public Library, said the Capitol has been showcasing some of the photos once a week for the past two months.

After receiving many inquiries about the collection, she thought an official presentation featuring a Q&A session was needed.

“People have been touched by them,” Knight said of the photos. “Some days we have as many as 40 people who come in. We have had some who come in and stay for three or four hours just watching the photos. I love them. I think they are amazing. I love seeing that past.”

Photos from the collection are also on display in the main hallway of the Princess Building and are featured in the Daily News’ Sunday Reader section.

Rabold said he hopes there is “further life” for his grandfather’s collection after its involvement with the Capitol Arts Center.

– Follow reporter John Reecer on Twitter @JReecerBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.