Our Past Is Present June 5, 2018

June 5, 2018

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society. This is another in our Tuesday series about the history of the C.L. Hoover Opera House. Today’s story contains more information from a thesis titled “A History of the Junction City Opera House In Junction City, Kansas: 1880-1919."  The work was written as a thesis and submitted in 1970 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science degree in the Speech Department at Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia. The author was Marvin Jonason.

            Last Tuesday, we ended that story in which Mr. Jonason stated that the opera house lacked any kind of ventilation until fans were installed in 1898, so the season was limited from late August to the middle of May with the exception of some shows and events on special holidays. He also stated in his work that: “Other summer events took place in Junction City, such as traveling circuses, tent shows called Chautauqua, which ran every day for a week and the annual fair that lasted for several days.  These events, plus the fact that Junction City was a rural community and the farmers were kept especially busy during the summer months, made running the opera house unprofitable. 

            Several movie theaters opened in Junction City during the early 1900’s.  The theaters that were most competitive were the Cozy, the Lyric and the Aurora.  These theaters ran nightly features and had air domes for ventilation in the summer months.  Finally, when the opera house was converted to the City Theater in September of 1919, it also ran films in the evenings.”

            Mr. Jonason’s work was written in 1970 when the current Opera House was the Colonial Theater.  He went on to state that: “Since its opening in 1882, the Junction City Opera House has served the people of Junction City well.  The building still stands and serves as an entertainment center for the public by showing the current releases from the major Hollywood film companies. Although the interior has been stripped bare of its elegant period décor and the backstage area is filled with air conditioning units, the exterior of the building still evokes memories of a bygone era with its high bell tower, both a symbol and a landmark.  Even more important is the fact that the people of Junction City, in a desire for cultural entertainment, did take an active part in the growth and the history of the American Theater.”

            We will have more on the history of the Opera House from this thesis each Tuesday for a while. Please keep reading on Tuesdays and every day Monday through Friday for Geary County history and learn why we say “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.