EDITORIAL
Acouple of decades ago our city didn’t have the greatest of reputations where keeping its most historical structures a living and vibrant part of the community was concerned.
That has changed. You can document the change with four words: The Depot, Kay Theatre.
The International & Great Northern Depot-Museum has become a well-established location for Rockdale events, ranging from school tours to the annual Christmas party.
The Kay Theatre held an appreciation event on Sunday, honoring its many volunteers, and benefactors, through the years, especially the late Leanna Applegate.
Our definition of “volunteer” has always been “someone who will do for free something you could never pay them enough to do.”
That’s certainly true in these cases.
The Kay Theatre opened in 1947. It’s a World War II-surplus Quonset Hut, the half-moon-shaped structures which were developed for military use.
That year E. L. Bryan and the Foy Arrington family purchased one. Carpenter Jack Kyle Sr. directed a group of Rockdale High School students to erect the structure at the corner of Main and Davilla.
It opened Thanksgiving of that year. The Arringtons named it “Kay” for their daughter. First movie shown was “Rolling Home.” It was re-screened on Sunday.
The Kay was open for 25 years, closing in 1962. Then it sat there for 40 years. It was in pretty rough shape when a group of dedicated volunteers got involved.
None of it would have been possible had the Leon Noack Family not donated the building and land. They were also honored Sunday.
Probably even the members of the Kay Theatre Foundation didn’t realize just how big a task they had set for themselves when they started to restore a building whose insides last saw the light of day during the Kennedy Administration.
They tackled the big job in phases, doing work as funding became available. It was the old “how do you eat an elephant?” approach. Answer: One bite at a time.
But they got it done. The Kay is a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark. Thats great. What’s even greater is that it gets used.
It’s hosted everything from concerts to town halls to weddings. And, of course, it’s still used for the task for which is built, showing movies. Sunday’s celebration highlighted that, of course.
It’s been quite a story. It’s no secret that downtown Rockdale has needed a shot in the arm for a few decades and that’s going to happen with major sidewalk and highway renovation projects on the horizon.
They will considerably brighten up downtown east and west. As for north and south, our downtown now has a couple of showpieces at the north and south ends of Main Street.
Which are, of course, the Kay and the depot.
And they didn’t get that way without a ton of help by a corps of dedicated volunteers. So far as the Kay goes, Sunday was their day.
It’s a success story fit for a movie.—M.B.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.