New Theater
28 E. Franklin Street,
New Freedom,
PA
17349
28 E. Franklin Street,
New Freedom,
PA
17349
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 4 comments
F.S. Sechrist announced this new theatre in the Summer of 1940 launching November 15, 1940 with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in “Strike Up the Band.” It has 500-seats at opening with Simplex projection. The theatre discontinued screenings in 1987 and it was converted to a flea market.
During what I called my “PA Trip ‘13”, I visited New Freedom on August 31st, 2013 to take a ride on the Steam into History train. (That day’s excursion had a Civil War theme.)
Before I arrived, I checked Cinema Treasures to see if there were any theaters listed for the town… and there was one — that was now an ice cream store — so I just had to go!
As I drove up, the place was cute as I expected, on a mostly residential street. Inside, the small lobby was now Bonkey’s Ice Cream. A convenience store-style drink refrigerator took up most of what had been the box office, beyond which the ticket seller would have had a pleasant view of the houses across the street. The ice cream counter was in front of two wooden doors that used to be the entrance to the auditorium.
I said to the three young women working there, “I had to come here just cause it used to be a movie theater”. They said through the doors behind them is what were the theater’s aisles but the seats and screen are gone, that there are still some seats upstairs and some film canisters but “it’s just creepy and we don’t go back there”. … I joked they should have popcorn flavored ice cream and they claimed they do sometimes have one that wasn’t out at the moment. I got a scoop of pumpkin flavor and said I felt like buying a movie ticket too.
I had arrived as the only customer, but as I turned around with cone in hand there were 7+ now waiting in line behind me out the front door. I thanked the ladies, took a last look at the little place, and consumed the cone at the benches just outside under the marquee.
The Bonkey’s chain homepage says the New Freedom location became the ice cream store in May 2004.
I would like to know more about the theater: people’s personal stories of seeing films or working there, when it closed, what other businesses occupied the location, if it‘s name was really New Theater…
A nice promotional photo of the exterior of the theater as Bonkey‘s Ice Cream.
Check out the Bonkey’s New Freedom location Facebook page.
The ice cream store is open seasonally from “St. Patrick’s Day, March 17 – Mid September 1st day of Fall” according to the “about” part of the Facebook page.
A different angle of the exterior.
Of course they were all new at some time,Lost Memory, I just like their name.If it had been a Loews house it could have been the Loews New.LOL
The “NEW THEATRE” is not so new. Nice to see that it is still being used instead torn down.Good luck to them.