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ART RAPIDS! CELEBRATES THE ELK RAPIDS CINEMA A limited number of tickets is available for a celebration of the historic Elk Rapids Cinema and its recent renovations. Theatre owner Joe Yuchasz has partnered with the Art Rapids organization to present a private showing of “West Side Story” on August 18 at 7:00 p.m., followed by a reception at Siren Hall.
Tickets to the event are available at Twisted Fish Gallery, Mullaly’s 128, or at the Cinema. All Art Rapids board members also have tickets for sale, and an order form is available on the web at www.artrapids.org. Cost is $20 per person for the movie and snacks; the dessert reception and champagne toast following the movie are an additional $20 per person. Funds generated by the event will support the Art Rapids scholarship and grant program, as well as performances and classes offered to the community.
On arrival at the Cinema, guests will be greeted in the lobby by a pair of talented young vocalists performing music from West Side Story. The singers are Katie McCall and Eric Fegan, students at Traverse City West High who are studying voice under renowned mezzo-soprano Jayne Sleder. The Cinema owner himself, Joe Yuchasz, will accompany them on the piano. The Elk Rapids Cinema goes back to 1940, when Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Loomis opened the doors. These owners had previously run a theatre in the building where the Town Club is; in this location, they converted the Elk Rapids movie scene from silent to sound. In 1960, the theatre was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Howard Coddington, who previously showed free outdoor movies each summer in Northern Michigan resort communities. In 1972, the Cinema was purchased by its third and current owner, Joe Yuchasz.
Yuchasz moved to the Elk Rapids area when he was six years old; raised on the shores of Birch Lake, he spent his school age years here. After high school, Joe attended the University of Notre Dame where he was enrolled in the Naval ROTC program. He was on active duty with the Navy after graduation from Notre Dame until he returned to Elk Rapids in 1965. After working in radio and construction for a few years, he opened Ye Olde Music Shoppe and a t-shirt shop on River Street, and also began teaching full time at Bellaire High School.
Yuchasz opened the theatre in 1972. When asked in what year the renovations began, he cheerily replied, “1972! The fixing of the theatre has been constant. Aggressive since 1990,” however, “most of the stuff that has happened has been things you couldn’t see” until two years ago when he hired builder (and first cousin) Frank Bussa to begin the repairs to the plaster ceilings and walls. Joe photographed the damaged ceiling mural and Bussa used the photos to repair and restore its former glory. The mural, titled “The Pines at Twilight,” was originally painted by Frank Cullman in the early 1950s.
During the plaster repairs, work had to end around 3pm each day so the theatre could be cleaned in time for the evening’s show. When it came time to replace the carpet and seats, the theatre had to close – but for less than a week.
Next in the renovations is a new lighting system to highlight the ultraviolet carpet which was installed just as in the original theatre, followed by new stage drapes.
Anecdotally, Yuchasz tells the story of his busiest night ever. “Godspell” was playing on a Monday; without notice, five busloads of Christian campgoers arrived; 600 customers saw the movie in two showings that night. The least popular movie ever played at the Cinema was the Japanese version of “Shall We Dance?” with English subtitles. The movie cost $250 to rent but had revenue under $100 for the week it ran. Yuchasz laughs, “It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever shown…much better than the American version.” Joe’s personal favorite, though, is “Singing in the Rain.”
The Elk Rapids Cinema is open 365 days a year and has provided entertainment for generations of area residents. |
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| © 2007 Elk Rapids Public Schools • 707 E. Third Street • Elk Rapids. Michigan • Phone: (231) 264-8692 |
