Homeless for the Holidays --- Theatre Remains Dark
In lists of Christmas movies this one may not top your list. It is a low budget film by a Christian film production company Breathe Motion Pictures. It was released in 2009; I have not seen it and it is not my intention to promote it. It was the film's title and message that caught my attention. Homeless for the Holidays describes the Palace Theatre in Elmwood this holiday season. There is no home for movies in Elmwood this Christmas. In the past many families came to Elmwood especially at this season to see a movie. This year the Palace waits dark and empty. Each new storm damages the tarps that try to preserve it. So truly this is an empty time, after a century of entertainment the Palace stage echoes only the winter winds.
Click for Official Movie Site
The Palace built in 1913 a couple years before the Orpheum in Galesburg IL. It was designed to host vaudeville shows as well as movies, so it has a stage. If it is able to be remodeled and restored it could be a multi-purpose facility for the Elmwood region sometimes called the Tri-County region. It would make a great place for bands to perform for youth events. Bars are the only place bands are often heard. It could be a great symbol of recovery, but it needs money to happen. The process of recovery has really put a bureaucratic Catch-22 in the Reynolds' way. ( Link to movie -- Link to Book ) The Palace restoration was one of the top priorities expressed by Elmwood after the tornado recovery started.
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