Alimar Theatre
113 E. Howard Street,
Live Oak,
FL
32064
113 E. Howard Street,
Live Oak,
FL
32064
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The Alimar Theatre was located in downtown Live Oak, and was opened in 1922. It was owned by R. E. Cannon, who also owned a drive-in and another hardtop. The Alimar Theatre was still open until May 3, 1979 when it was destroyed by an early morning fire, thought to be arson.
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Larry Bearden
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113 E HOWARD ST
Still open in 1971.
On May 3, 1979, the Alimar Theatre along with its neighboring Dixie Grill were both gutted by a fire. The fire occur a few hours after its screening of a double-feature, with one film being “Smokey And The Bandit”. The Live Oak Fire Department’s Chief Howard Wright said that it was reported by the daughter of the theater’s operator at the time, Paula Johnson.
Right after the credits roll and everyone left the theater after showing as normal for the evening, Johnson and her sister Debra Chauncy were the last to leave for the night. The pair after cleaning then went to one of the all-night convenience stores to buy food at approximately 3:00 AM that morning. At 3:11 AM is when the fire happened. Wright also said that during response, a Seaboard Coast Line train traveling through Live Oak delayed one pumper and a salvage truck from Station #1 from reaching the scene for seven minutes. Wright said that the engineer increased the SCL train’s speed to move out of the way so that way the fire department continue their Code 3 call. Meanwhile at Station #2 located one-and-a-half blocks south of the buildings, responded only with a pumper unit.
Local paperboy Robert Allen was picking up copies of the morning edition of the city’s newspaper one block east of the scene when he saw the blaze. Allen said that as he made the delivery on the north side, the whole downtown area looked as if it were on fire. Debris covered the city streets for blocks, and firefighters fight the blaze after opening the theater doors. Right after the fire extinguished, no damage estimates were made right after the fire was reported.
Later that month, it was reported that an arson might’ve caused multiple blazes throughout May 1979 in the city. His name is unrecognizable.
During the week of October 5, 1979, the Dixie Grill reopened its new location, but the Alimar Theatre though (which at the time was expecting to be renovated into a twin theater) was a mass of rubble.
A twin-screen theater named “Cinema 1 & 2” (which has its own Cinema Treasures page) would later open its doors somewhere on East Howard Street, although I cannot find any information about it.