Entertainment : Reminiscing 25 Years at the Palace

Vinton Women's Club honored Julie Zimmer and Lu Karr as "Women of the Year 2000" and the city gave them "Keys to the City." Drew Mason nominated both women for a Humanities Iowa Distinguished Service award which they received at a ceremony in Des Moines.

This photo is from the Women's Club evening.

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By Marcy Horst

I'm changing my topic schedule again this week - digital cinema is coming - I promise! However, I believe a fundraising update is due. The theatre has been graced to date with $5,480 in patron donations toward our $25,000 goal to Light Up the Palace! I have also written multiple grants for the project. Fingers crossed! The campaign will be ongoing, until we reach our goal, hopefully by anniversary year's end, next November, or sooner! Donations may be made online at www.vintonpalace.org, or checks written to ACT I/Palace Theatre, 210 W 4th St, Vinton.

Julie Zimmer

Incidentally, while recently sifting through materials from 25 years ago I realized the 1999 renovation drive was also entitled Light Up the Palace. Great minds! Chances are Julie Zimmer, original Palace promoter, dubbed the campaign. We've enjoyed receiving many kind notes and memories included with contributions. Julie reached out with the following.

"Congratulations, Vinton, on this quarter-century of movies and live theater in the historic 1915 Palace Theatre building. What fun it was to help re-establish it and watch the community enjoy their own efforts. A host of volunteers made (and continue to make) the magic, from fund-raising to popping corn.

Lu Karr and I were invited by the ACT I board to envision a permanent community theater performance space. Working with Lu was the best thing I ever said "yes" to. We met as Girl Scout leaders and we share a July birthday (the 8th, a day apart from Palace managers Marcy Horst and Jan McLeod). We had complimentary skill sets, we were good problem solvers, and we weren't afraid to stick out our necks or fail. Gertrude Stein said it best, "You look ridiculous if you dance, you look ridiculous if you don't dance, so you might as well dance."

We went on the road with a high school volunteer to videotape interviews (with community theaters in Iowa who shared what worked for them) for community discussions. With the help of Linda Fisher (ISU Extension) we explored community interests. Becky Mossman introduced the idea of movies at a brainstorming session just as a workout center closed and the former theater building went up for sale. Using the playbooks from Virginia Gay Hospital's capital campaign and the Vinton Public Library expansion campaign, a devoted committee and a corps of volunteers started one-one-one fundraising, held a benefit auction, and we wrote grant applications. I'll never forget the city father (who turned 100 this November) looking at us like we were a bubble off plumb, telling us it would never work - and then cheerfully pulling out his checkbook to make a donation anyway.

We met our first goal of $250,000 and it quickly became apparent the community wasn't satisfied with folding chairs. They wanted a real theater. We doubled the price tag and found the dollars to do it right. We worked through some bumps along the way, trying to balance dual uses of the theater and still keep the cash flow needed to make it work. Mark Mossman had the patience to chair the new board as they established by-laws. Board member Jo Sainsbury made sure it was affordable for everyone, with $2 tickets. Lu Karr, Kurt Karr, and numerous others worked through the event planning, architectural, interior design, mechanical, installation details and staffing. I did the marketing: selling ideas, promotional writing, photography, print layout and design, publicity. The Palace was a win-win-win for the community, ACT I, and a new generation of patrons.

I live in Peterborough, New Hampshire now, pop. 5, or 6,000,with a small movie theater (maybe half the size of the Palace) with no stage or live performance facilities. Folks here are really proud of having the first movie theater in the state (est. 1914). It is a friendly, comfortable place, owned and managed by Vanessa whose mellow Labrador comes to work with her most days. The movie choices and concession offerings are great. Van and I can walk there in less than ten minutes.

But I still smile remembering the day we sat on the curb and watched that Palace marquee go up. There on the street were youngsters on roller blades, guys in bib overalls, people walking their dogs and strolling their babies.

Because - nothing in the world holds a candle to Vinton's Palace Theatre."

Light Up the Palace

What will your donation support? When you drive by the theatre after dark, perhaps while out looking at Christmas lights, you will note the main portion of the Palace marquee is dark. Once fundraising is complete, Elwick Electric will be replacing the marquee lighting with economical LED fixtures. Andrew Elwickhas also recommended we replace all 25-year-old indoor lights with LEDs, saving us money in the long term, and saving Andrew, Charley Cronk, and Allan Merchant, my three tall heights go-to guys, many trips up the ladder or scaffolding.

As every home and business owner knows, all the unsexy parts of your building start to decay after 25 years. Other maintenance projects we hope to complete include replacing all electronic toilet parts. One by one, Edwards Plumbing and Heating has already replaced many as needed throughout the past year, with the remainder imminent. Bathroom soap dispensers have both given up the ghost. Several auditorium seats are showing their wear, especially in the popular back rows.

Your donation helps us maintain our beautiful building while keeping our prices affordable for all. Thank you for supporting the Palace. Unfortunately, I don't know my weekend movie schedule yet by this column submission deadline. It'll either be "Moana 2" again, or "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." However, Wednesday, December 11 at 7 pm we're showing an anniversary year Christmas movie, "The Family Man," rated PG-13, running 126 min. I remember loving this movie 25 years ago. Lots of holiday laughs.

See you at the movies!