As I grew older it came time to find an after school job. No way was I working at a fast food place, nothing against it ..just not my bag. Anyway my freshman year in high school I filled out my very first application it was at the Southgate Theater located in Liberal, Kansas. After repeated visits & phone calls daily the manager hired me, just to shut me up. I was very excited and ready to try my hand at the movies. I started as a doorman, ticket taker. After proving myself in the ticket tearing and kicking out kids position, my boss asked if I was interested in learning how to run the projector, I said YES YES when do I start?

Well that’s all it took…I began my venture as “the projectionist”

I took the job to another level I organized everything and kept a detailed vision in my head on where things were located in the booth, this was because if something were to happen I would know exactly where the item I needed would be just incase projection problems occurred. And that meant keeping the place organized and clean at all times. I took pride in my job and what the job meant. The projectionist is the last leg in the industry. The basic design or idea of a movie begins when its devolved and moved into production. Filming, editing to finally cut then basically shipped to me the projectionist. That always made me feel good, knowing they depended on me to finish the final scene you might say.

Over the years I’ve worked in many theaters and have watched thousands of movies. My passion for film and the movies doesn’t stop there. I found myself researching the history of theaters and the movies. I became aware of many classic theaters around the country and wanted to experience an “old school” movie theater experience. There is something magical when you visit one of the old palaces. It really has a different feel then what you find today with mega plexes. The art of the movies used to be simple and it worked and really still does, but we the people are pushed into change everyday of our life’s, but that doesn’t mean we cant stop this change.

Changes with the way we see movies now from then. Well I remember my family going to the movies and the first thing I always noticed and remember most of is that people come to talk. I mean before the show began out in the lobby, people just mingling having fun and letting lose. And of course once you walked into an old classic theater you relaxed. The structure and design draws you away from the everyday world. You’ve crossed the line into the Twilight Zone.

Today you find the urgency to find the best seat and are overwhelmed by waiting in lines for minutes. Hey it happen in the old days too, but meanwhile video screens & video games roaring in the background are today’s standard. Back then it was an event…now it’s an event with no atmosphere. No whisking you away as you walk in the front doors. No WOW!

Well the WOW is still there you can find classic theaters all over the states that are keeping this alive. Help support the memories, history and fun. I hope you enjoy the site!

Monday Conversation is a question-and-answer interview with a local person. This week’s interview is with Emporia Granada Theatre executive director Jessica Buchholz.

Q The theater’s one-year anniversary celebration is Thursday. What do you have planned?

A On the night of the event we have a couple of things happening. When you purchase a raffle ticket you get admission into our casual reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. We will have appetizers, hot apple cider from the Granada Coffee Co., treats from the Sweet Granada and a cash bar. We will have some Granada memorabilia out for everyone and a slide show and pictures about what has been going on over the last year. It is a big open house for everyone. It will be casual.

At 7 p.m. we will raffle off the Chevy and some other prizes and then at 7:15 p.m. we will be showing the movie “Grease.” If someone just wants to purchase a movie ticket they can do that for $4.

Q How has the first year of operation gone for the Granada?

A The first year has been quite successful. The community has responded very well to the Granada Theatre being open. We have had a variety of events, from Movie Night to the arts council events and lots of private events from weddings, receptions and business meetings.

Q Is the Granada breaking even financially or are you looking for some extra funding?

A We are always looking for volunteers and donors but the first year of operation has gone close to what they originally predicted. There have been a lot of costs associated with opening the new facility and getting it up and running. What we have done this last year will give us a good forecast for what we need to do this next year. It has been a great learning experience for everybody.

Q What are your goals for this year?

A We want to continue to be busy booking events, both public and private. We are excited to be working with the Emporia Arts Council since they will be next door. We want to break into new markets like having people from out of town book events and bring more business to downtown.

Q What are some of the big events that you already have lined up for next year?

A We will have a New Year’s Gala on New Year’s Eve. We will kick off the year with a bridal show on Jan. 3 and that will be the first bridal show in Kansas. The movies have been successful, so we will continue that. Plus, we are working on a couple more events for the public.

Q How does the Granada compare to other historic theaters around the state?

A Our theater stands out because it is a multiuse facility. We can do big public events, weddings and business retreats.

Q How many weddings have you had this year?

A I don’t know the total count but right now we have one almost every weekend and we are already starting to book those weddings through 2010. There are some months that you can’t get a Saturday already.

Q How are the movies going?

A We started showing more than one movie a month because of requests. So we have classic movies the first and third Thursday of every month. We also started a new movie series called Encore Movie night which is the fourth Wednesday of the month. Encore movies are from the ’80s, ’90s and now.

Q How does your Friends of the Granada program work?

A People can make a donation of any size or pledge an amount over time. People who become Friends will receive our monthly and quarterly newsletters. We will make sure they are always informed of the events that are going on.

F If you would like more information on the Granada, call Buchholz at 342-3342.

http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2009/oct/12/granada_celebrate_anniversary/

Built in 1928, the Dodge Theater was once the city’s place to be, but it shut down in 2004 after a steady decline in popularity. For many, renovating the theater will help provide a link to their past.

“Every Saturday for 25 cents we used to to the Saturday matinee in these beautiful old theaters,” says Dodge Theater supporter, Jim Johnson. “Sometimes it was live performances and sometimes it was just movies. We remember all of that stuff, and there’s a nostalgia there.”

Before it can reopen, the Dodge Theater needs to raise nearly a quarter-million dollars in grants and donations to make improvements on the building.

It seems the theater gods are smiling upon the Colonial Fox Theatre recently.

First, the theater is about to be placed on the Kansas Preservation Alliance’s of the ‘Most Endangered Historic Places’.

Then, the Colonial Fox Foundation found out it has been given 501(c)3 status, meaning it is a not-for-profit organization, which could be helpful in raising funds.

To top it all off, the 400 for 40K campaign — in which 400 people are being solicited to donate $100 each to raise a total of $40,000 — is just 31 donors from its goal.

“We’re hoping by the end of the month we’ll be able to do that,” said CFF President Vonnie Corsini. “Our goal of course is to pay off the theater. Before Christmas, we’d like to have a nice ceremony and present Marsha Besse with a check to pay off the balance of the theater. Then it will belong to the citizens of SEK.”

But one of the big events will be Thursday’s announcement from the KPA.

The purpose of the ‘Most Endangered’ program is to identify and call attention to irreplaceable historic places in Kansas that are threatened by demolition, neglect, development pressures or vacancy. The goals of the program are to raise awareness about the importance of preserving historic properties in the state of Kansas and to highlight the work of local preservation groups from across the state.

This year’s list includes eight historic places, including the Colonial Fox Theatre of Pittsburg, Kansas. Opened in 1920 as the Colonial Theatre, this Italian Renaissance Revival Building features Beaux Arts details and is the only remaining theater in Crawford County from the `Movie Palace’ decade of the 1920’s.

The Japanese had just surrendered to end World War II, and the post-war economy was booming.

The year was 1946, times were good in Southwest Kansas, and Jay Wooten had an idea to bring a drive-in theater to Liberal. He named it the Great Western.

“He didn’t have much money to do it,” Wooten’s son Jerry said. “He had just enough to put in the screen, projector, speakers and concession stand.”

When the Great Western opened, people came from far and wide to watch a movie on the huge 60-foot tall, 124-foot wide screen.

“They used to come from as far away as eastern Colorado,” Jerry recalled.

He worked for his dad and for the management team of KZ and Dorothy Howard who lived in a converted army barracks right on the theater grounds.

“I worked, but I didn’t get paid,” Jerry said. “It took everything to pay the bank.”

By 1949, however, there was enough capital to make some enhancements, including the Great Western marquis sign that used a bright yellow neon arrow to point the way to the cashier’s house where money was collected, even if the occasional guest in the trunk skirted admission.

The sign was a brilliant display, standing more than 10 feet high and 20 feet wide. A yellow crescent moon floated at the top of a field of blue with white stars, and most of the sign was a marquis to announce the newest blockbuster to arrive on the “big” screen.

The Great Western was not the only theater in Liberal. The Tucker Theater downtown was a cutting-edge facility during the era, with red velvet decor and a balcony. The Plaza on Second Street also showed films, usually B-movies, and the Majestic was in its final days of silent films.

But the Great Western held its own for decades, outlasting the Majestic and the Plaza by providing a unique way to watch movies like “Flipper,” “Spencer’s Mountain” and “Savage Guns.”

Sometimes guests paid by the head, other times by the carload.

And Jerry remembered putting 600 cars in for some movies and having to turn customers away.

Over time, however, movie policies changed, and it became more difficult for drive-ins to get movies when they premiered.

Steve Reed was the last manager of the Great Western in the early 1980s, and it was this policy change in booking films that he attributed to the demise of the drive-in industry.

“You couldn’t get new releases,” he said. “It was all second-run stuff. By the time they were at the drive-in, they were on television.”

The experience at the Great Western was a bit different. Popcorn, candy and pop were available at the concession stand, but so were mosquito coils and fly swatters. And the occasional guest would pull away from their spot without replacing the speaker on the pole.

For the most part, the huge screen held up to the brutal winds and hail storms of Southwest Kansas. But in the late ’70s, one of the supporting timbers gave way, and local contractor Lee Roy Beaty was called in to repair the damage.

“When the timber gave way, it put a big crack in the screen about a third of the way over,” Reed said. “Beaty came in and pulled it back together and resurfaced the screen.”

It would be the beginning of a number of movie projects as Beaty also built the Southgate Twin and remodeled the Tucker into Wood’s Clothing Store.

Reed managed both the Great Western and Tucker theaters, which were operated by Commonwealth Theaters, and then he headed the brand new Southgate Twin when it opened in the late 1970s. The Tucker Theater closed following Commonwealth’s new dual theater, and then, in September of 1986, when the Southgate expanded to four auditoriums, Reed said the last movie was played at the Great Western.

The screen eventually came down, the speaker poles were uprooted, and the concession stand was torn down.

The acres of vacant space even had wheat crops grown for a few years.

The remaining remnant that proved the site was once the social gathering spot for the community was the massive marquis sign with the neon lights long since gone, the paint fading, and panels that once held the letters announcing an exciting new film non-existent.

Recently, Paresh Bhakta bought the property to build a Best Western Hotel and Suites, and with the property came the sign.

Long-time Liberal resident Eddie Welch approached Bhakta about acquiring the sign, and Bhakta obliged.

Eddie had his own memories, and since the closing of the Great Western had his sights set on one day owning the sign.

“The last movie I watched there was Ghostbusters,” he recalled. “I’d go there with my friends. Greg (Jacquis) had a van, and we would pull out a couch and a chair. We were the drunks in the back row.”

Eddie preferred the Great Western to the Tucker, and since he graduated in 1984, his was the last teen generation to experience watching a movie in the great wide open.

“I did manage to get a speaker and a pole out of it before they disappeared,” he said.

Eddie has spent several years collecting iconic pieces of history. From Dairy Queen and Sonic signage to an old phone booth and a parking meter, Eddie has had an eye for full-size memorabilia. Even the trash can in his office came from the Tucker Theater. But the Great Western sign has now become the crown jewel of the collection.

When Eddie heard that the property had been sold and a new hotel was coming to town, he made contacts with a family he knew that used to own the Best Western in Liberal. He then learned who the new owner was, and received permission to take the sign.

“I’ve been after that sign since 1990,” he said. “As soon as I knew I owned it, I went to look at it, and the size scared me.”

The massive sign not only served as the beacon to movie-goers, but it was also used as a wall to a garage on the drive-in property. Inside the cinder block building were three massive transformers that kept the sign glowing.

Eddie called in his friends and began disassembling the sign.

He and his crew spent two weekends removing screws and making brackets to safely move the massive structure.

He needed the help of Jeremy Friesen and Chris Rogers, Rick Wyre and Dude Welch plus some equipment from Friesen Salvage and Hog Slat.

Without damaging the sign that had stood up to 58 years of exposure, they disassembled the sign and have it stored in a safe location.

The real work now begins to restore the sign.

“First we’ve got to clean it up and sand it,” Eddie said. “It has 50 years of dirt in it. Then we have to rust-proof it, and then we’ll paint it back to its original colors. The neon is going to take a while. You’re talking about thousands of dollars of neon.”

Once the signs returns to its original splendor, Eddie said it will be put back in public view, although he wasn’t quite sure how, when or where. He had several plans, from mounting it on a portable trailer bed to a permanent display.

Either way, Eddie said although the sign was in his possession, it was something to be shared with the public.

“Mr. Bhakta gave me this sign, but Liberal got it.”

By ROBERT W. BUTLER
The Kansas City Star

“It’s every bit the challenge that we assumed it would be.” Butch Rigby, operator of the Screenland Granada theater.

Last weekend the Screenland Granada in downtown KCK showed a new print of “Top Gun.” Twelve people showed up. For the entire weekend.

The Downtown Dodge Association is back, and it’s made revitalizing downtown its top priority.

The organization will conduct a meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday in the Homestead Theater, 101 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd. to discuss a membership drive. There have been 14 to 16 members present at each meeting this year, and the association has compiled a list of about 90 potential members.

Downtown property or business owners, anyone who works downtown, or anyone interested in preserving and promoting downtown could be a member or the organization.

Formerly the Downtown Merchant Association, the Downtown Dodge Association renamed their group to attract other people besides merchants. The group started up again in April after a two-year hiatus.

“There’s a lot we need. We need to coordinate our efforts and communicate with each other,” said Alle Craig, owner of Alle’s Art Gallery and president of the Downtown Dodge Association.

Fliers with membership information are being translated into Spanish, and there will be an interpreter at the meeting.

“We want to coordinate the cultures and create an open communication between people,” said Craig. “We really would like people to come and get involved and share ideas and thoughts.”

Membership dues are $10 a month and must be paid by July. The dues will be used for operating expenses such as postage, printing, and posters. The money will also be used to make Dodge City more attractive and build enthusiasm and commitment.

Two main projects the group wants the city to tackle are reopening the Dodge Theatre and converting the old TM Deal Lumber site at Spruce and Third into a park.

The association has discussed several ideas for a park at the TM Deal site, but nothing is finalized. The group has until the end of October to decide.

“The door is wide open as to what can go there,” said Ryan Carpenter, director of special projects and assistant to the city manager.

The Downtown Dodge Association also wants to reopen the Dodge Theatre.

“That’s going to be kind of major,” said Craig.

As part of Dodge City Days, the group is planning to paint doors and windows of downtown businesses with a Western theme. For more information, contact Craig at (620) 227-3886.

Reach Monica Springer at (620) 408-9932 or e-mail her at monica.springer@dodgeglobe.com.

WICHITA — When a group of investors bought the historic Orpheum Theatre, supporters thought it would take a few years and from $2 million to $3 million to restore it to its former glory.

That was in 1984. And while $2.8 million worth of restoration projects have turned the Orpheum into a viable venue since then, much remains to be done — at an estimated price tag of $7 million to $9 million.

“We’re really at the point where we have to redo the inside of the auditorium,” said Delmar Klocke, chairman of the restoration effort. “That takes not a few hundred thousand dollars, that takes millions. And we have to have that money in hand.”

And it will also mean closing the theater, which will present or rent space for 80 concerts, stage shows and other events this year and has drawn almost 100,000 patrons during the past three years.

Mary Eves, president of the nonprofit Orpheum Theatre Performing Arts Center Ltd., said income from those events covers about 90 percent of operating costs.

But backers of the restoration concede that if it is to be done right, it will have to be done soon.

“My era might be referred to as saving the Orpheum,” said Marge Setter, a former president of the nonprofit. “Now it’s time for restoration. The costs go up every day we don’t do it.”

The Orpheum opened in 1922 as a vaudeville house, then became a movie theater. By the time it closed in 1974, it was an adult film venue — and its structure had deteriorated badly.

A group of investors bought it in 1984, but a foreclosure lawsuit kept the board from taking over until 1992. The board chose to open the theater for events and do the renovation work piecemeal, rather than keep it closed entirely.

“The overall plan was to get the theater open to generate income and interest in the theater,” Setter said.

Fundraisers and grants — including $1 million from the city — have paid for the restoration costs so far.

The restoration of the lobby and concession area, expected to cost $350,000, is next on the list. After that, the interior renovation — expected to take two to three years — will have to be done.

“I think we’ve proven ourselves in a way that wasn’t apparent 20 years ago,” said Wichita lawyer Eric Engstrom, secretary of the nonprofit’s board. “But it’s been a long process, no doubt about it.

“If we had one or two angels with a million or two to throw in, that would be great.”