Traverse City Record-Eagle

Life

BEST ... AND NOT

• "Godspell" was the busiest screening at the Elk Rapids Cinema. Without notice, five busloads of Christian campgoers arrived; there were two showings to 600 people in one night.

• "Shall We Dance?" — a Japanese version with English subtitles — was the least popular movie. It cost $250 to rent, but brought in less than $100 over a week. Owner Joe Yuchasz said, "It's one of the best movies I've ever shown — much better than the American version."

• "Singing in the Rain" is Yuchasz's favorite movie.

Related Photos

  • A watercolor of Elk Rapids Cinema by Elk Rapids artist Joani Braun. Special to the Record-Eagle

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August 13, 2010

Cinema celebrates renovations with party

Movie theater has been operating since 1940

FROM STAFF REPORTS ----

ELK RAPIDS — The Elk Rapids Cinema is celebrating its recent renovations.

A party will be held beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18, with a special screening of "West Side Story," followed by a reception at Siren Hall.

The small-town movie theater opened its doors in 1940; Edwin Loomis and his wife previously ran a cinema where the Town Club is. In the new location, they converted from silent movies to sound.

In 1960, Howard Coddington bought the theater; Coddington was known around the region for showing free outdoor movies each summer.

The current owner, Joe Yuchasz, bought the theater in 1972.

Yuchasz grew up in Elk Rapids and, after graduating from Notre Dame, returned to work in radio, construction, owning the Ye Old Music Shoppe, a T-shirt shop and teaching at Bellaire High School.

Asked when renovations on the cinema began, Yuchasz said, "1972! The fixing of the theatre has been constant."

Updates have been more "aggressive" for the last 10 years, he said, but "most of the stuff that has happened has been things you couldn't see."

Two years ago, builder Frank Bussa — Yuchasz' cousin — started work on the plaster ceilings and walls. Yuchasz took pictures of the damaged ceiling mural and Bussa used the photos to repair and restore it.

The mural, "The Pines at Twilight," was painted by Frank Cullman in the early 1950s.

During the plaster repairs, work had to end around 3 p.m. each day so the theater could be cleaned in time for the evening's movie. When it came time to replace the carpet and seats, the theater had to close — but for less than a week.

Other renovations have included a new lighting system to highlight the ultraviolet carpet that is the same as the original carpet, and new stage drapes.

Wednesday's celebration is in collaboration with Art Rapids. Tickets are available at Twisted Fish Gallery, Mullaly's 128 or at the cinema. Art Rapids board members also have tickets to sell and an order form is available at www.artrapids.org. Tickets are $20 per person for the movie and snacks. Tickets for the post-movie reception are $20 per person. Money raised will support Art Rapids scholarships and grants.

Before the movie, Traverse City West Senior High students Katie McCall and Eric Fegan will be performing songs from "West Side Story," with Yuchasz accompanying them on piano.

The Elk Rapids Cinema is open 365 days a year; for more information, go to www.elkrapidscinema.com.

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