On Friday 350 people attended a donor reception to get the first peek inside of the renovated Granada Theatre.
The evening was filled with “ohs” and “ahs” as people walked around looking at the finished theater.
The theater is in amazing condition after nine years of restoration work by more than 40 skilled craftsman. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is just incredible — from the ornate painting on the ceiling done by hand, to the plaster work on the walls inlayed with gold leaf, to the proscenium arch around the stage.
At the reception, the theater was alive with memories. As you walked around, everyone was talking about what they remembered about the theater.
Carolyn Davis reminisced about paying a quarter to see a movie. Laura Lee and Stan Hearn talked about the fire in the theater in 1959. There were memories of the stern theater manager, Ed Dorrel, who kept moviegoers in line and kept the theater in excellent condition. But most people recalled going on dates to the Granada and sitting high up in the balcony.
What’s exciting is that the renovated Granada lets a whole new generation experience the opulence of an old-time theater and create new memories which will last their lifetime.
The theater is a sight to see so come visit it this weekend at the open house from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Seeing the finished theater only emphasizes the importance of preserving our history and the importance of having the community pulling together to complete a project.
The theater is an amazing asset to our community and we need to take pride in what has been accomplished.
We need to keep this effort of improving our community going by having donors turn their attention to some of our other worthwhile community projects that need funds.
Christopher White Walker
Editor & Publisher