Our Past Is Present October 16, 2018

October 16, 2018

            This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.

            Well, it is Tuesday and if you have been reading these blogs since January, you know that Tuesday has been set aside for historical stories about The Opera House.

            Regular readers remember that the opening of the Opera House was in January of 1882. There were minstrels, wrestling, boxing, a circus, high school graduation exercises, variety shows and concerts by local talent.  In January of 1898, the building caught fire but was restored and re-opened in October of that same year.  In 1918, silent films were shown and then talking pictures were shown as early as 1919.  The building was renamed and that is where we pick up our story today.  The information for today’s story comes from an article in the “Junction City Union” newspaper dated September 22, 1919.

            T.W. Dorn announced that he would open the opera house Wednesday evening, September 24.  It had been renovated, renamed and regenerated with the great feature picture classic “Sahara.”  The building was going to be called the City Theater. It would play the good regular theatrical attractions offered and a line of high class and varied pictures.  An excellent orchestra was to be one of the promises made by the management.  It was also stated that on account of the actors’ strike, the road attractions would be from six weeks to two months late in coming here.  This implied that only the motion pictures would be shown until that strike had ended.”

            It was mentioned in the article that the name of the Opera House was changed to the City Theater.  Even so, we found references to the building being called both the City Theater and the Opera House.  That may have been out of habit and knowledge that the City Theater was originally called the Opera House.    

            Anyway, we will have a story next week  about how the Willys-Overland Company plant in Toledo, Ohio had a connection with the City Theater.

            And… that’s today’s story on “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.