I was born in 1961 and grew up in Burlington. My dad was on the volunteer fire department. As a kid we went to the Strong Theater every weekend to see a movie. At the time there were a series of fires set by an arson, who was eventually caught, but he managed to destroy many historical buildings before then. The Strong wasn’t rebuilt and as kids we lost an amazing resource. I have wonderful memories of being dropped off out front by my Mom, so that my friends and I – for only about $1 a person, got to see whatever movie had just been released. I remember my Dad talking about the frustration of the local authorities about catching the person who was starting the fires, and the fear about fire fighters or civilians being injured. I also remember my Dad talking about how someone was taking photographs of all the people in the crowds when the fire was burning, because they knew the arsonist would be in the crowd watching what he had done. I don’t know if that is how they caught him.
I was born in 1961 and grew up in Burlington. My dad was on the volunteer fire department. As a kid we went to the Strong Theater every weekend to see a movie. At the time there were a series of fires set by an arson, who was eventually caught, but he managed to destroy many historical buildings before then. The Strong wasn’t rebuilt and as kids we lost an amazing resource. I have wonderful memories of being dropped off out front by my Mom, so that my friends and I – for only about $1 a person, got to see whatever movie had just been released. I remember my Dad talking about the frustration of the local authorities about catching the person who was starting the fires, and the fear about fire fighters or civilians being injured. I also remember my Dad talking about how someone was taking photographs of all the people in the crowds when the fire was burning, because they knew the arsonist would be in the crowd watching what he had done. I don’t know if that is how they caught him.