Columbine Theatre

Mentioned a few very brief times in the book “Attached to Sweetness: Chronicals of Sugar City Past to Present” that was published around 1980.

The Columbine Theatre clearly replaced the former venue serving as a movie house, The D.O.H. Hall as one passage mentions:

“Mrs. Tomstock ran a movie house in the D.O.H. Hall. Mrs. Lucille Scharton was the pianist for the silent movies around 1913. Usually a movie was shown in a series so there would be a "full house” every night. The pianist usually knew enough about the movie to enable her to play very well in the dark, creating all the sound effects needed. Mr. Bryan Barnes bought Mrs. Tomstock’s movie business and the new Columbine Theater was built."

In a section of the book briefing the town’s major accoutrements in the year 1922 there is this mention:

“There seemed to be something to do for everyone if one wished to become involved. The Royal Neighbors Club was very active. Epworth League at the Methodist Church met regularly. Pastor at this time was Wesley M. Kaufman. Columbine Theater was available if you cared to attend a movie.”

In the final pages of the book where residents (past and present) candidly share memories of the town and/or are briefly profiled by the author, an Iris Arnote Stephenson of Ordway is mentioned:

“During high school days Iris worked Stanley Pinkerton at his hamburger stand which was in the front part of the theatre building after it had closed”. Unfortunately, the Columbine Theatre is not the theatre directly named however the only other theatre in town that is mentioned in the entire book is the D.O.H. Hall and this hall is always mentioned as the D.O.H. Hall/Safety Firet Garage or Fireman’s Hall;the word “theatre” is never used when referencing it (in the book, at least). Of course this still leaves doubt but assuming the logical fact that she was referring to the Columbine Theatre, this gives us both a post-theatre function and tells us that the Columbine Theatre closed sometime prior to 1933 (it was listed in the 1926 edition of Film Daily Yearbook) as this same profile of Iris states that she graduated high school in 1933.

It is also clearly implied that all motion picture theatres (permanent, at least) were out of business by the time of World War II given the two paragraphs (in different parts of the segment) from the point in the book that discusses entertainment/social activities in the 1937-1942 timeframe:

“All the latest films could be viewed at the Princess Theatre in Ordway, each film showing for just two days so one could attend four different movies in one week, if you wished. Popular actors and actresses were Tyrone Power, Linda Darrell, Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshal, Shirley Temple, Bob Burns, Roy Rogers and the series of "Red Ryder”, to mention a few"

And

“It was a custom for farm families to come to town in Saturday night to buy groceries, bringing the whole family. Thus the streets were littered with cars as neighbors and friends gathered to visit with each other as well and the various merchants. During the summer, free movies were shown using the side of The National Hotel as a large screen. Benches were set in the street for the convenience of viewers who were unable to arrive early enough to get a good parking place in the car so one could sit in comfort and watch the movie”.

Sugar City was a boom town built around the Colorado National Sugar Manufacturing Company. It has experienced several dramatic highs and lows over the years in both population and economy. Sadly, it’s in a low now that it will doubtfully recover from; the beet sugar factory (the towns main employer) closed in 1967 (demolished in 1977) and all in all, there is virtually no new growth but only an elderly population that keeps dwindling yearly.

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