Lyric Theatre

Ward Green began the original and unrelated Lyric Theatre with a live passion play on December 4, 1907 in the town’s old courthouse building. The theatre went out of business just after Christmas of 1909 and a chattel mortgage sale dispersed all of the theatre’s contents in 1910.

However, the New Lyric Theatre opened soon thereafter by T.C. Lomax as a movie house on the nearby Wullenwaber lot on January 27, 1910 with Alvin Wyckoff in “A Daughter of the Sioux”. The last showing was February 24, 1911 and Lomax had reportedly left town. A sheriff’s sale offering the 250 seats and the Edison phonograph and projector was held on April 19, 1911 ending that operation.

I.N. Kuhl purchased the Rivoli Theatre from Fredy Mayland in September of 1928. He would install sound there and then launched the Midget Theatre here in the Thomas Building on November 6, 1931 with Sally Eilers in “A Holy Terror.” Two theatre operation had returned to the town for the first time since the silent era but it would only last four four years.

The 250-seat Midget Theatre was rebranded as the New Lyric Theatre beginning on October 29, 1932 with Zasu Pitts in “Strangers of the Evening”. The Lyric Theatre dropped the “New” though would cease operations on December 28, 1935 with Hoot Gibson in “Frontier Justice” supported by a serial and a “Common Man” Edgar Kennedy short likely, “In-Laws Are Out” (though not confirmed). The space was converted for other retail purposes. The Rivoli continued operation and was still going in the 2020’s.

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