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July 24, 2005Back for an EncoreHope for building renewed as festival nearsByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Delbert Dalzell's first date was at the State Theatre to see "South Pacific." Now he's one of several volunteers working to fix up the classic movie house in time for the Traverse City Film Festival initiated by filmmaker Michael Moore and set for July 27-31. "I walked her through that door," Dalzell said of his date as he stood near the State's Front Street entrance. Dalzell worked to replace floor tiles in the front of the theater and mend holes in its metal facade. He said it fits in well with his occupation as a designer and builder of businesses and homes. He's among about 30 people who have lent a hand in some way, and among about a dozen who have returned several times over the past three weeks, said Tim Hall, who is coordinating the effort. "It's been really cool, because for the most part, the people showing up here read about it or heard about it from somebody else," he said. "And about 90 percent of the people here, I've never met." Volunteers have worked several nights a week sprucing up the concession stand, putting in ambient lighting at the sides of the screen, replacing floor tiles, cleaning marquee letters and organizing the storage area for them. They've repainted the back wall of the auditorium and touched up a cherry-tree mural on the sides. They've updated electrical wiring and plumbing and had the roof repaired. And they've replaced the bulbs in the flashing marquee. Hall said they couldn't have done it without donations of time and materials. Two paint stores combined to donate about 50 gallons of paint. The Lyric In the mid 1910s, the Lyric Theatre opened on the spot where the State stands today. A fire gutted it in January 1923, and the company rebuilt and reopened it that December. It burned again in 1947 and reopened in 1949 as the State Theatre, said radio personality Merlin Dumbrille, who operated the projector as a teen then. "The friendships I made at the theater have continued through this day," he said. "I think you have to give some credit to Michael Moore for getting this done," he added. "It wouldn't have happened without him." The theater closed in the early 1970s with "The Last Picture Show." New owners reopened it with its original screen split into two screens, Dumbrille said. After several years, it closed again. In 1996, plans were announced to convert the theater and the former Kurtz Music building next door into a $6.9 million community arts and performance complex. A legal dispute between the State Theatre Group and Barry Cole, who donated the building to the group, held up the project and it was scaled back to $4.6 million before it again stalled. In 2003, the State Theatre Group and Interlochen Center for the Arts announced a partnership to renovate it. The group has about $6.5 million yet to raise for the $10 million renovation, Interlochen spokesman Paul Heaton said. While current fixes are largely cosmetic, Heaton said they will help achieve the permanent renovation. "It's very significant in terms of getting people in so they can see the potential this building has of becoming a core of our performing arts community," he said. Kathryn Dalgliesh, a 21-year-old volunteer, has never been to the theater for a show, but senses its importance based on comments from passers-by. "We've had a lot of elderly people come by here and just to hear the things they remember about it is fun," she said. "It's really great that we're recreating memories for people and not just recreating the building." See Related Stories: Ticket sales, financial support keep growing for film festival - July 22, 2005 AFR Freedom FilmFest opens next Friday - July 22, 2005 Profile: Moore on Michael - July 22, 2005 Panel sessions range from politics to producing - July 22, 2005 Behind the scenes: the committee - July 22, 2005 Small town, world films: Buffs looking forward to indie films - July 22, 2005 Volunteers come from all parts of the state - July 22, 2005 At Issue: Letters to the Editor about the Film Festival - July 22, 2005 The films: descriptions & reviews (2-page PDF) - July 22, 2005 Extra screenings added for film festival's sold-out shows - July 20, 2005 No alcohol allowed at festival's Open Space films - July 20, 2005 Hollywood to visit Traverse City for Film Festival - July 17, 2005 Conservatives offer alternate film festival - July 7, 2005 Moviegoers rush to buy film festival tickets - July 2, 2005 Michael Moore announces TC Film Festival lineup - July 1, 2005 Moore deilivers for first Traverse City film extravaganza - July 1, 2005 Michael Moore hopes actors will visit Traverse City Film Fest - June 16, 2005 TC Film Festival: Residents share noise, crowd concerns - June 8, 2005 Coming soon: Classics; Michael Moore backs TC film festival - June 4, 2005 See Related Editorial: TC Film Festival plans a great fit for the area - June 12, 2005
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