It was almost a ritual. Just about every Saturday morning if you didn’t have a lawn to mow or chores to help your mom with, your day was already set in stone Eventually, you would be settling into one of those old, but wonderfully familiar leather seats at the downtown theater. It was great. You were exactly where you were meant to be. The “show” was usually packed with kids who paid anywhere from a dime to a quarter to gain admission to a world of unrivaled imagination right there in Swainsboro, Georgia. Often there were special shows like the famous “fine time for a dime” where you got a ticket for admission, a coke in a paper cup and a bag of popcorn for a dime. Unbelievable! Downtown sidewalks were busy with shoppers, and all was right with the world. The matinee was usually a western or an army picture starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, Vera Miles, Audie Murphy and a host of others. The idea of bringing a girl with you came along much, much later. You could stay for just the one show, or you could stay all day at the Dixie Theater and wind up your Saturday with a trip across the street to Lucille’s for the best hamburger or hotdog in the United States. Life just could not be much better for a ten-year-old. The Swainsboro picture show opened in the mid-1930s, and it was a staple of social life owned and operated by the Karrh family. Sadly, it closed in the late 1960’s after growing up and growing old with the Emanuel County community.
In 2011, the two sons of Barbara and Tobe Karrh approached the city with the idea of reviving and restoring the now abandoned theater. After much research into costs and considering how much bringing back the glory of the old theater would mean to the downtown area, as well as the emotional spirit and attachment still alive, the project was adopted with a vote of endorsement from the city council. Following a rigorous development trail complete with on again, off again political support and damaging weather setbacks, the reenvisioned and restored theater has now reclaimed its glory and beyond. Thanks to unbelievable public support from the citizens of this area, as well as the guidance and dogged refusal of various administrations to let this project fail, Emanuel County now has a state-of-the-art venue for communication, entertainment, and the advancement of new trends in technology we cannot even imagine today. Michael Harden now serves as Director of the center and is charged with duties as old as providing first run movies showing five days a week, live entertainment in a seasonal rotation, and the interface of the newest technology that could bring new opportunities to our education and business sectors.
As a new year begins, our community should be aware of the extraordinary directions being placed in our future. When this project first began, I was confident of the transformative potential that would reveal itself. Now that the road is almost complete, I am encouraging everyone to see what we have all created in downtown Swainsboro. This architectural revival is a sparkling tribute to our community’s past, but more importantly, it is an example of what can happen when determination, imagination and belief in ourselves and our future lead the way.
Additional information may be found on The Karrh Center Facebook page, as well as http://www.karrhcenter.com.
