Liberty Theatre
801 5th Avenue,
New Kensington,
PA
15068
801 5th Avenue,
New Kensington,
PA
15068
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A story from my now deceased neighbor Mrs. Jean Stafford, about the Liberty Theatre:
“The Liberty Theater had a stage, and they put on yearly recitals in the spring and fall there for the local ballet group which I was a part of. Outside of the theater was a sign area for coming attractions for the upcoming shows, and there were photos for the upcoming recital trying to sell tickets. I wanted my mother to take a picture of me by the advertisement, but she never did.
What I liked about the theater were the cowboy shows: twenty cents if you were over 12 years old and fifteen cents if you were under. On Saturday mornings I would try to get by for being younger so that I had five cents left for Cracker Jacks which was a big deal. The woman knew my 12-year-old face, so that didn’t work long. Besides movies, they had acts and I remember when the “Ink Spots” came. One of the guys had a big diamond ring that looked like a spotlight even from the back row. I am sure it was real."
Uploaded a larger photo of the Liberty Theatre to the photo section.
The 1921 Wid’s Year Book lists the Liberty and Star Theatres in New Kensington among the ten theaters then being operated by Rowland & Clark.
The April 3, 1920, issue of The American Contractor said that the contract had been let for the Liberty Theatre:
A document prepared for the nomination of the New Kensington Downtown Historic District to the NRHP says that the Liberty Theatre opened on May 2, 1921.I wonder how much success that recruiter had selling people from inside a dilapidated old theater. Knowing those guys I suppose it probably didn’t matter too much.