Show A14 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday The turning point came in the la(e 1980s when down- Theater Gary Anderson a local attorney and committee member said more than a dozen loads of junk were dragged from the theater’s basement Within the refuse was a car town retailer Eugene Needham decided to buy the property with several other Continued from A3 more each year The Utah Festival Opera Company which performs in the theater has watched its audience grow by 23 percent a year for the last three years The same is true of the theater as a whole The Ellen Eccles Theatre has increased its attendance by 30 percent over the past three years The Saturday night crowds and live opera productions are reminiscent of the theater's early years when Abbot and ' Costello John Philip Sousa and the Marx Brothers appeared on stage The playhouse was called the Capitol Theater named afier its rival in Salt Lake City It was not the first building on the comer of 100 South and Main Street but rather the of the old burned to the that house opera ground in 1912 The new theater was first-ra- te built at a cost of $230000 according to historian Boyd Israelsen Patterns of fruit cherubs and lions adorned its walls while the face of Muse the Greek goddess of ait stared down from above the stage Murals of the mythologic Phoenix were painted along the sides of the theater depicting the Firebird's rise from the ashes Finally in March 1923 the curtains parted The theater attracted pejformers from all over the nation dubbing ' Cache Valley “the Athens of Utah" Israelsen said “The Capitol Theatre belongs in a very real sense to the people of Cache Valley” read a newspaper article at the time “It was not built as a venture but in money-makin- g an effort to bring to this valley what had been in part denied us the very finest in drama vaudeville and feature pic- 13 2003 April i buildings along Main Street Though some argued that the theater should be tom down and replaced with a parking lot Ballam convinced the merchant tct save the building The operatic tenor believed the theater should become a public facility Convincing Logan city was another story “Newel Daines then mayor of Logan couldn't see the civic advantage” according to a historical account by Israelsen “At one point exasperated he ased Mr Ballam what part of ‘no’ he did not understand Undaunted Mr Ballam persisted and finally after getting the mayor inside the building made him a con-ver- t” body Burjap was pulled from the walls unveiling the intricate plasterwork that Anderson’s own grandfather had done in the 1920s “It was an absolute jewel under all that gunk and paint” Anderson said In January 1993 the playhouse opened anew with a lavish interior and a fly system orchestra pit and stage ' that could accommodate a full-sca- le opera But this time it opened under the name Ellen Eccles Theatre The Eccles Foundation had contributed significantly to the project Theater officials estimate that the Main'Street playhouse now draws as much as $57 million a year to the valley’s 'economy making it a cultural and financial anchor to downtown Logan From that point on Ballam described Daines as a “titan” in advocating the theater’s renovation Committees were formed and work began ' care of the problem” Wsley said He said parents need to pay attention to their children IUs-le- y said that parental attention is the best anti-dr“Parents need to put away the golf clubs and shut the laptops” Wsley said people seeking treatment from meth in Utah has risen 1500 Meth percent Wsley advocates stopping methamphetamine by using a approach: arresting prevention and Continued from A3 three-prong- 6f methamphetamine ingredi- ents called “precursor” materials lax laws open spaces and a naive climate made Utah a haven for meth cooks Though die public is better informed meth use is still on the rise According to Wsley since 1992 meth overdoses have risen 500 percent and ed ug treatment He said the first task should be to arrest meth cooks Next youth and adults should learn about the drug and finally treatment must be made available for addicts “You cannot just lock someone up and say you’ve taken wki Does Your Heart Good American Maori Association anwrns HAIR HAIR COLOR am curs M — m- - Kids over 9 $2000 " NdtagiS Starting GREAT NAILS At CompMa $000 $3000 $3300 Mair JUtajesig Pittg 118 North Main Downtown Logn Honday-Saturtay8-6p- m HOME REFINANCE LOAN AUTO LOAN GOLD MONEY MARKET ACCOUNT ture's” Live performances soon shared the stage with motion pictures drawing moviegoers from across the valley during the 1930s and 1940s Among them was Smith- field' resident Ralph Clark He remembers paying 23 cents a ticket to take his future wife to the movies after World War II He had also attended the theater as a hoy treading up a lavish entry way into the lobby Unlike other movie houses of his day the auditorium was wide spacious and elegantly trimmed “It was Ihe ultimate adventure growing up” Clark said But the crowds waned with the advent of television in the 1930s At last the stage was sealed off with a' massive plywood wall to conserve heal ' ending live pmductions'entirc- iy- - Decadcs passed Born Continued from A3 of the interior is now fully apparent and it surpasses the expectation of those who had most clearly in mind the plans for Utah's finest playhouse The Capitol Theatre belongs in a very real sense to the people of Cache Valley It was not venbuilt as a money-makin- g ture but in an effort to bring to this valley what had been in part denied us the very finest in drama vaudeville and feature pictures ' SKYMIlES ’Y- The management has announced that popular prices will prevail at all productions and this meani they say that the finest picture shows may be viewed in this delightful theater for 23 and 35 cents including war tax and that tickets for a joint program of vaudeville and picture will cost but fifty cents including taxi Every Monday and Tuesday five acts of vaudeville and a feature picture will be shown beginning Monday April 2 The house will be kept run-- ning the other days of the week with feature pictures and road shows mmmmm vacation? 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