Raising Money for the Kitties! Over the years we've been FUNdraising together,  our sets have evolved.  Each year, they're a little larger,  a little more complicated, and now,  more sparkly. Our first fundraiser started with a modest table and few phones.  The Darlings took the very first calls. But before the fundraiser was over, things got a little fancy and we added a stage and a tote board. The Darlings finished up their shift, and the Fortunatos took over. Next year, things got bigger.  We added a curtain and a little more decor on the walls, including a photo gallery of IBKC alumni. The Anderson-Ericksons had a short shift on the phones, then the Suprenants Sisters moved in. These girls look quite innocent, but you may recall they are capable of doing serious damage. This cute little duck made a cameo during the 2010 fundraiser.  If you weren't following us then, I'm sure you're wondering what's with the duck?   Click HERE and HERE for the full story.

Things got even fancier in 2011.  A garland of paper flags and tiny sparkle balls were draped across the set.   The table was skirted,  international clocks and an expanded photo gallery were added to the walls. The Dearborns took the first shift on the phones. And a very tiny kitten named "Kisses" made an appearance. You can read all about Kisses HERE. The Dearborns did a great job, and brought in squillions during their stay. To finish off the 2011 fundraiser, the Batsels took over. For year four, the set expanded, and it was fanciest and flashiest to date.  I crafted the tiny couch to accommodate a couple of kittens.  Large photos of alumni framed in gold  hung in front of a shimmery tulle curtain and it's fringed valance.    A tiny typewriter was added to the desk. The set was large enough for one giant Bean or all five of the Gibson Kittens. Year five, the entire set was designed to match Wylla.  She was our only kitten at the time, and the carpet on the set was the exact same color as her nose.  

The couch from the previous year was reupholstered in a fluffy fake fur to coordinate with the new design.  There was lots of glitter and gold. We had a few guests during the season (a few shelter kittens and some IBKC alumni) to help answer the phones, too. This year, we got pretty glittery!  scania 143 curtainsThe set is even big and better!  curtain pole brackets homebaseA new couch was crafted with mid-century vibe.  dunelm mill blackout curtainsThe set is even groovier and sparklier than ever!bhs silver chenille curtains I'm hoping some real magic will happen on the set this year.   park design curtains 85180

Our goal is high, but we have 24 days to complete it, and I think with our little Kibblesmiths, Wylla, Bean, and our awesomely supportive IBKC community,  we can make it happen together! We've got a big $2000 match on the table right now, and we've barely put a dent in it today - there's still $1700 to go to reach it!wiggly fish vinyl shower curtain - white/blue But don't worry, we've got time! wiggly fish vinyl shower curtain - white/blueWith six hours left to meet it, it ends at 7:00 PM pacific time, it's 100% doable! SO please, if you're in a position to give, pay a visit to our  FUNdraising page to make a tax-deductible donation. And while you're there, take a look at all those comments.    It's sweet to read the names of all the lovely folks who donated, the reasons they why they've  donated, and the cats, kittens, and humans that they are donating in honor or memory of.

Thank you everyone for the support and love.  And thank you for lending your ears.  I know this is a long month, and my requests for donations might grow tiresome.   I do appreciate you hanging on!When the Westown Theater opened on September 10, 1970, at 4200 West Third Street, it marked the beginning of an experiment. It was the first theater that the Walter Reade Organization, a motion picture firm out of New York, had opened in a black community. Originally to be called the Cinedome, the name settled on was Westown, after the name of the shopping center where it was located. Investors in the theater were in hopes that the new movie house would be a plus for the Westown shopping center. "We think it will be a real shot in the arm for the center." stated John R. Paul, general manger of Dayton shopping centers at the time. Paul, whose firm owned the theater, stated that it was the only one of its kind in the area. The theater was roofed with a golden colored geodesic dome.

Inside, the struts of the construction were covered with stucco to accentuate the geometric pattern. Total cost of the 500 seat theater was estimated at $375,000. Walter Reade Jr., president and chairman of the Reade Organization, believed that the theater had every chance of bringing in an income of $250,000 a year. "If this theater prospers as we expect, we will invest in similar ventures." Although the Reade Organization promised to bring in good films, this proved more difficult than they thought. When attendance was not as large as anticipated, the motion picture companies were not inclined to show their first run movies there, which hurt attendance even more, causing a vicious circle that doomed the theater to close six months later. "Our losses were drastic." said a spokesman for the Reade Organization. "Some nights we played to three or four persons." Fortunately, Thomas Pozin Enterprises saw the Westown as a springboard for their organization to enter the Midwest area, and reopened the theater on May 28, 1971.

A new policy of $1 admission for adults and 50 cents for children was initiated. But the same problem of lack of attendance plagued the new owners as well, the theater grossing as little as $13 some nights. It closed for the second time in less than a year, on July 13, 1971. Less than a month later, Westown’s doors reopened under a lease agreement with Time Theater, Inc., of Cleveland. The neighborhood was surprised to see that the first double billing was Sex USA and Women, Women, Women, both X-rated movies. Public reaction was mixed. Lelia Francis, who once operated Francis Realty, was not in favor of the change in venue. "I just don’t like this kind of film." "When it’s for 21 or over, then you know what’s happening. Besides, people know enough, we don’t need screen demonstration." Leonard Skale, owner of the Meat ‘N Place at the time, disagreed. "I think it’s okay." he commented. "These theaters have always been in white communities. We need one in the black community.

And it’s evidently what people want." Evidently, X-rated movies were not what the people wanted. By October 1971 lack of attendance darkened the theater’s marquee once again. After being closed for eight months, the Westown received a new lease on life when Joe Vance, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reopened the theater on June 22, 1972. The theater concentrated on family-type movies and black-oriented films. Vance claimed not to be discouraged by the failure of his predecessors. Perhaps he should have been. It wasn’t long before the theater sat empty once again. The Westown sat empty for over a year before reopening on July 7, 1973. Renamed the Roxy, the movie house was leased by James Burt, the same man who had successfully taken over the management of the Victoria and Loew’s theaters in downtown Dayton. "We’re aiming to make the theater more responsive to the people in the area." "There are currently many outstanding black films being shown in drive-ins around the Dayton area, but at no indoor theaters."

Opening with The Mack, the Roxy seemed to finally on the road to success under Burt’s management. He spent several thousand dollars remodeling the theater, and began running first run black-oriented films and second-run attractions. Unfortunately, for both the theater and the community, the Roxy closed for the final time on April 3, 1975. "It had been making money over a period of time," Burt stated, "but it started losing steadily during the last months before I decided to close it." He explained that as an independent theater owner it was difficult for him to compete against the major exhibitors for the better attractions. The theater reopened as a community center the following June. The building was razed several years ago, the area where it stood is again a part of the Westown Shopping Center’s parking lot. Minnie H. Freese (1927-28) St. Paul (1938-57) & (1961-62) House of Fright (1962-63) Corner Richard and St. Paul Streets Not much can be found on the opening of the World Theater in 1914.

At that time motion picture theaters rarely advertised, especially those located outside of the downtown area. Luckily, Dayton resident A. J. Espy was able to shed some light on the old theater. "My father (Alfred) operated the World Theater" stated Espy, "and I can remember, when an epic Western was going to be shown, he would dress up in a Indian costume and rent a horse and parade through the streets with me in the saddle with him. All the neighborhood kids would gather around to get free passes to the show." Over the next half century the theater would change its name no less then ten times, a record that still stands in the Dayton area. When it became the Rialto in 1919, the theater was operated by Paul M. Banker. After a short stint of being closed, the theater then became the New Villa sometime around 1926. In 1927 Minnie Freese bought the property, but after only a year sold it to Semelroth Theaters who renamed it Willow Theater. In 1929 the theater again closed, probably due to the fact that talking pictures had begun playing in the downtown theaters and the Willow was not equipped to show those type of films.

According to an article published in a local Dayton newspaper in 1936 the theater again reopened as the Bijou Theater. The article claimed that at one time the Bijou was the most commanding of all theaters during the silent film days. Except for this report, I have been unable to find any other source that listed the theater under that name. If it was open under this name it was probably for a very short period of time. Sound equipment was never installed in the theater until 1938, making it unlikely that the Bijou would have been able to compete for more than a year under those circumstances. The theater received a new lease on life in 1938, when it again reopened, this time taking the name of the street where it was located, St. Paul. "The St. Paul was a dinky theater." claims Bill Hinders, who remembers watching movies there as a kid in the 1940’s and 1950’s. "Looking back, I bet you were lucky to fit seventy people in there. The theater didn’t even have a concession stand.

All they had was a popcorn machine with a dome over it. You’d put a dime in and it would make a roaring sound. You’d have to hold your bag under where the popcorn came out to catch it." Although the movie palace seemed to hold its own for a while, patronage began to slip in the 1950’s and the theater closed in 1957. Later that same year the building became a place of worship, becoming known as the Evangelistic Temple. In 1961 the building was leased by John Holokan, who opened it as the St. Paul theater. "People will start coming back to the movies if you give them good, entertaining pictures at a price they can afford", said Holokan. "Many good pictures have gone by the wayside because they didn’t do business and this led Hollywood into the mistaken idea that the public wanted sex and crime and sensationalism. "Now we are getting good family pictures again and I’m sure the people will welcome them and start going to the movies again." Holokan began showing a combination of first run and "classic" movies, one week showing The Absent-Minded Professor followed by Gone With the Wind and Ben Hur.

He also began holding special Saturday matinees for the kids. The theater again changed names a few years later, opening as the House of Fright on November 2, 1962. The theater began showing only horror movies like Frankenstein, Dracula, and Leech Woman. The new billing did not last for long. On March 15, 1963, when the theater opened as the New Paris, it began showing adult films. The Grand opening offered the movie Love and Birth. "See a baby born right before your eyes!" claimed their ad in the newspaper. H & K Enterprises assumed operation of the New Paris on May 31, 1963. Under their direction the theater began offering reruns of all-time classic movies. When the partnership of H& K Enterprises broke up a year later, the movie house was once again known as the St. Paul Theater. Monster movies like Godzilla vs The Thing and Monolith Monster were standard fare until the theater closed in 1965. The old movie house is now gone, one of the many buildings torn down during the construction of Route 35.