SOLOMON VALLEY CINEMA PART 4 20 YEARS LATER....THE DREAM LIVES ON!

Twenty Years Later -- The Dream Lives On

By Terry Bailey

The Solomon Valley Cinema is getting all prettied up for the party; its twentieth anniversary party. Most folks are surprised that twenty years have passed since our local twin-screen movie house opened its doors in November of 1995. Twenty years goes by fast when you are having fun.

Does anybody remember the name of the first two movies shown at the theater? We will give you the answer later. Since those first movies were projected on the screens at the Solomon Valley Cinema, 20,800 shows have taken place on the two screens. If you multiply this number of shows times the 240 seats in both theaters, you get an astounding 4,992,000 seats available for viewing over the twenty year history of the cinema.

Current theater manager Amanda Schwerman said, “One of the Cinema’s strong points over the years is that the Boards of Directors began with a vision of keeping it modern and appealing so that the patrons could enjoy the same quality as the bigger theaters in the city. This is the mindset adopted by those who breathed life into the community theater and has been maintained by those who followed the past 20 years.”

Understanding that a quality sound system is vital for a pleasing movie experience, the managers have upgraded the sound system several times. The mono-sound system installed in 1995 was state of the art at that time. As time passed a higher quality Surround Sound system was installed to offer premium quality sound. This system gave way to the current Digital Sound System when that advanced technology became available.

In 2008 new carpet was installed as well as updated lighting. At that time the lobby, the rest rooms, and concession area were remodeled, resulting in a more welcoming atmosphere.

In 2009 the bulky and cumbersome reel-to-reel film system was replaced by a digital movie system. The movies, which resemble a computer hard drive, arrive in a padded box. The projectionist takes out the movie, puts it in the projector, and then the computer takes over. This allows for a much higher quality movie to be viewed by the patrons.

Schwerman commented, “A few years back we were able to redo the parking lot to better serve our customers. Storage room additions have been added. Everything has been updated over the years except for the auditoriums. It is their turn now.”

The current modernization project will include new draperies to replace the 20 year old burlap ones that are starting to sag noticeably. New track lighting along the floor will help with increased visibility. The most significant change will be the new seating. The new seats are rocker types that allows the movie goer to adjust the seat to several positions so that each person can have customized seating. . Additionally, the arm rests fold up and down for increased seating convenience. The new seats are slightly larger than the current seats which will provide more comfort. The bigger seats will result in fewer seats in the theater.

“We looked at this very carefully,” said Schwerman. “We do have sellouts from time to time but those don’t happen often. We decided the trade-off of fewer, but larger and more comfortable seats was worth the change. Currently we have seating for 240. With the installation of the new seats, that number will be reduced to 213.”

While the auditoriums will be the focal point of the current upgrade, the Cinema’s exterior will receive some renovation also. New backlit, LED lights will spell out CIMEMA on the outside and Bell Memorials will donate a new face to the marquee.

In order for all this remodeling to take place in an uninterrupted fashion, the Solomon Valley Cinema will close on September 18^th and remain closed until the Grand Reopening on October 2^nd. To celebrate the 20^th anniversary and the remodeling, on October 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th, ticket prices will be rolled back to the 1995 cost. Concessions will also sell for the 1995 cost. As a special treat, on Saturday, October 3^rd, a special free showing of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will take place at 1:00 p.m. Drawings for prizes will take place throughout the grand opening weekend.

When asked the question “Why did the little theater in a small community with a limited clientele base charge strongly out of the starting gates and continue to be highly successful for twenty years, when some said it wouldn’t last one year?” Schwerman was quick to respond. “Community support made it happen. Everyone got behind the idea 20 years ago and gave their money, their time and their expertise to bring the dream to life. Since that time people have continued to come to the Solomon Valley Cinema from all across the area on a regular basis. They treat the theater with respect and take care of it. They buy lots of concessions which generates income. Everyone involved is proud to be involved. We had great people in the beginning and we have had great people continually since that time.”

There is no doubt that we will celebrate a 40^th anniversary one of these days.

The first two movies shown at the Solomon Valley Cinema in November of 1995? They were NOW AND THEN and GOLD DIGGERS.

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Beloit, KS 67420, USA