Ganado Cinema lights up
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GANADO - The air was electric as families and residents counted down to the lighting of the Ganado Cinema neon sign.
"This is something I never thought would happen to me in my lifetime," said Alvin Svoboda, the owner of the theater. "That's one of the biggest birthday presents I've ever had."
Svoboda turns 72 Friday.
The 21-foot green sign, a $16,000 project paid for by the Jackson County Historical Commission and Svoboda, is a replica of an original displayed when the theater first opened in 1941.
The project also added neon lighting to outline the building.
More than 300 residents attended the event that many say will help redefine the downtown scene.
"You can't be in this area and say Ganado without thinking of the Ganado theater," said Ganado Mayor Clinton Tegeler to the audience. "It has been a mainstay of the town."
Tegeler followed his speech with a surprise proclamation to Svoboda and officially recognized Nov. 20, Svoboda's birthday, as Alvin Svoboda/Ganado Cinema Day.
The crowd counted in unison "three-two-one" and after a 30-second glitch the street was flooded with neon green. Children lifted up cell phones and snapped pictures while onlookers standing on the sidewalk cheered.
"I think it's very good. We needed something here in Ganado," said Sheryl Matcek, a Ganado resident who attended the lighting ceremony. She and her husband, Bennie, had their first date in the theater.
"Good memories, exciting memories," she said remembering. "This is the focal point of this town."
Others believe Svoboda, who's worked at the theater since age 15, was well deserving of the honor.
"It is a testament to Alvin's perseverance," said Brad Richards, a former theater manager who watched the lighting ceremony. "He's sacrificed to keep this place running, and it's finally paying off."
Svoboda at one point drove a school bus, recycled aluminum cans and sold watermelons in front of his theater to help keep the doors open.
After receiving his honor, he thanked the residents for their support.
"Without you there would be no theater to put a sign on," he said.
As the ceremony ended, patrons began to line up for the midnight showing of "New Moon" as the green glow of the neon sign lit downtown.
"You don't need a map anymore to find Ganado," Tegeler said.
Comments
One of the last TEXAS treasures! This theater is more than just a business, it is a cultural center. If you have never been -- go get in the car and make the short drive over! It will make you remember the old days in Victoria when we all went to the El Rancho or the Uptown Theater. Too bad their aren't more great places like this in the world today!
November 20, 2009 at 12:57 p.m.