Group explores movie house idea
A group of people in Marion, including a pair of very young ones, is trying hard to see if establishment of a movie theater in Marion is feasible.
A committee of six adults plans to go to Parsons Thursday for a second meeting with a group there, including a theater owner, to get their advice.
Marion has not had a movie theater since the 1950s, the era of poodle skirts, penny loafers and ducktail haircuts, Sputnik and the hula hoop.
The committee members are Jeff Cady, Judge Mike Powers, Jami Williams, Gene Winkler, Mickey Lundy, and Susan Cooper.
Also, Kayla Williams, 10, and Jared Vondenkamp, 9, are selling snacks in front of Western Associates, 124 East Main in Marion, to benefit the theater effort.
On Thursday they were featuring homemade brownies, chocolate-chip cookies, chocolate-chunk cookies, and no-bake cookies, as well as lemonade and water.
Kayla said that "at first, we were just going to do a lemonade stand," and then the duo thought of expanding it into a "snack shack."
They intend to have the "shack" open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday until the end of July.
Jami Williams said the group will look at the theater in Parsons, see what costs might be for one in Marion, and discuss other related matters.
Cooper is looking for a possible location, possibly in or near the industrial park.
"These would be second-run movies," Jami Williams said, "and we would have a concessions stand
If the project gets the green light, "We will be seeking volunteers and donations," she said.
Powers said Thursday, "Jeff Cady is the instigator of this. He's made me a sort of 'lead horse' on it, which is fine. But it's Jeff's baby. We would not do what they've done at Parsons, but they are advising us on the business end of it."
Powers said a longtime friend of his, at Parsons, runs the theater there and was "a neophyte" who has learned a lot from owning a theater.
"We're trying to piggyback off his experience. We'll look at the inside of the theater. I think it's cute and great, what those two kids (Kayla and Jared) are doing. If kids that young are interested in having a theater here, maybe some other people are, too," Powers said.
"But we're only in the fact-finding mode now," he emphasized. "We're exploring the possibility. We all want to do whatever we can for Marion. We'll see if there's enough interest.
"We'd like to know how people feel about this, pro or con. If they think a theater is 'a lousy idea,' let us know that, too. We're not going off the deep end here, we're just exploring the possibilities," he said.
