A little remodeling news

Next time you're at the movies, if you think of it, walk down to the stage and take a look. It looks like a simple fresh paint job, but it's really a lot more.

Sharp-eyed folks might remember that we had a "brick wall" trimming the stage for many years. This was done in about 1998 because the former stage trim (curtains matching the side walls) had gotten dirty and stained.

When we decided to remove the brick paneling from the lobby in February of this year, we decided to remove ALL of it, which meant the bricks in front of the stage had to go, too. Our contractor, Tom Ungefug, noticed that the original stucco stage front was still there under the bricks, and suggested just removing the bricks and letting the original stage show. The only thing required was to rebuild the front trim on the stage, which had been removed when the brick wall was constructed.

Well, replacing that trim was no ordinary job. First of all, the stage is curved, so that meant the trim would have to be built to match. The top rail in the front is actually composed of about eight 1x6 boards, trimmed down at the joints to match the curve of the stage floor. The top rail is supported by additional panels and trim pieces below. If you were to cut a cross section out of the rail assembly, you would find it consists of seven separate pieces of wood!

In the center of the stage, there used to be a large air intake for the now-defunct swamp cooler system. We decided to build a storage cabinet in that area for concession supplies. (Don't worry, we're not going to interrupt the movie going back and forth to that cabinet during shows!) As of this writing, the cabinet is all finished except for the doors, which should be installed next week.

We're not quite done with the remodeling yet... Here's a list of what's still to be done. Granted, this list is quite boring compared to what we've been doing, but it's all good. Over the next few weeks, we'll be:

• Fixing the front display window so the glass doesn't fall out, and putting new backing in there to replace the aging, sun-cracked current backing.
• Stopping up a lot of air leaks in the back of the building. (This will save us money on heat, and also make the theatre warmer during the winter.)
• Putting the various movie posters in the lobby into frames. (This is because the old system of attaching the posters to the wall doesn't work with our new textured walls.)
• Adding some additional lighting to the stage.

And for the final crowning touch that you won't be able to see, we'll be getting a new roof this summer, thanks to the big hailstorms from last summer.

Alvin and the remodeling

Well, turns out I was off on my Alvin/Chipmunks guess. But we will be playing it starting January 25. Watch the website for the show schedule - we haven't decided on a matinee time yet.

You might have noticed the destruction going on in the lobby area. We are removing the 1980s-era brick paneling and replacing it with textured drywall, which will restore the lobby to the way it looked when the concession stand was first built. We're also getting rid of the "dropped" ceiling over the concession counter and the paneling in the stairway -- so the original Roxy stucco work will be visible again. And finally, we're replacing the brick paneling in front of the stage with "something," we haven't decided what just yet.

You might be saying: What were we thinking all those years ago, with the paneling and the tile ceiling and all? Well, the stairway was originally paneled (with crappy looking wood paneling) to hide a big hole in the stucco. When we remodeled in 1981, we decided to replace that paneling with something better looking, and the brick paneling was chosen. Then later when we enlarged the concession area, we just used the brick paneling because it matched the other paneling and was easier, cheaper and faster. Then still later, we used more brick paneling in front of the stage because.... well, it was easy, cheap and fast.

We're also doing a number of other smaller behind-the-scenes fix-ups, such as:
1. Fixing air leaks in the back of the building
2. Putting in a new exit door at the foot of the auditorium
3. Fixing the east display window on the front of the building and refurbishing the display boards

The project is probably taking longer than it normally would, because we are still open while it's in progress, so that means everything has to be cleaned up, put back in place, etc. in time for each night's show. So we're grateful to our contractor, Tom Ungefug, for cooperating with our busy schedule and not throwing anything at us (yet).

And of course we're grateful to you, the moviegoers, who make it all possible. We'll have pictures on the website of the remodel soon.

One other thing: You might be thinking...WHAT ABOUT THE RESTROOMS? That plan hasn't been abandoned, just "put on the back burner" until the contractor and the building inspector can come up with something we can all live with without ruining our nostalgic lobby. Stay tuned.