One of the most visionary organizations I’ve ever been associated with is the Texas Downtown Association, brainchild of the late Anice Read of Austin. As the first director of Texas Main Street (a program in which Spur was once the smallest city in the state to participate), Read realized early on that Main Street, with its rigorous requirements and selection process, would not be able to meet the needs of every city. Nonetheless, she bore witness that downtowns are the lifeblood and true heart of any community, of any size.
When TDA met recently for its regional roundtable in Lubbock, at the new Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, I jumped at the chance to attend. Among the highlights of this gathering was a behind-the-scenes look with Tim Collins, who had headed up the effort to raise funds and create the facility.
A decade ago, when I lived in an in-town Lubbock neighborhood, the idea of a performing arts hall on a lackluster plot next to the freeway had some scratching their heads. Now, the Buddy Holly Hall is a world-class venue for symphony, ballet, musical theater, and other stage productions, and its acoustics and design put Lubbock right up there in refined company. The tour was jaw-dropping.
But on the other end of the program’s spectrum were small towns such Dumas, in the Panhandle, whose grass-roots revitalization efforts showed that anyone can work with the resources they already have.
If one of those downtown resources is a historic movie theater with an impressive façade, several of us decided, you’re already halfway there. If you’ve got a lighted sign that catches the eye all the way up and down your main street, count yourself even luckier.
At the luncheon a few of us exchanged updates on our historic theaters. Plainview, for instance, restored its Fair Theater several years ago and, in addition to housing its Main Street offices there, shows movies year-round. (I’ve attended a few amazing events in that space myself.)
Levelland’s Wallace Theater, which reopened for live performances and movies a while back, has been undergoing renovations during pandemic closures.
The Cactus, in the heart of Lubbock’s Depot District on Buddy Holly Avenue, has welcomed touring concerts for decades, and also supported a house musical troupe.
Allison Kendrick of the Texas Plains Trail Region reminded me of others—we counted the Mulkey in Clarendon, the Ritz in Wellington, the La Rita in Dalhart, the Morley on Borger, the Gem in Turkey, just to name a handful.
All these towns have benefited from the romance of their old theaters and the gathering spot they have once again become.
A few weeks ago, on a warm spring evening as Spur’s Palace was about to roll its Saturday night film selection, a stranger stopped in.
He was from the Metroplex, he said, but he’d been in the Lubbock area on business for the past week. Homeward bound on Highway 70 in search of a meal, he happened to glance down the hill and spotted the running white lights that illuminated strings of parked cars. What was going on in town? he wondered.
Volunteers at the Palace showed him around, pointing out rounds of improvements made by generous donors, and the upgraded projection equipment. He was impressed.
Turns out he’d been in this space before . . . in 2016, when his boss, host Bob Phillips of TV’s “Texas Country Reporter,” had come to Spur to do a segment on the city’s tiny houses.
Producer Brian Hawkins stuck around to enjoy a hot dog and talk with us about the Palace’s role in one small town’s life. We told him about the plans for a season of more movies and the return of live performances. He jotted down an idea for a future segment of TCR, which continues under the banner of Texas Monthly Productions after marking 50 years on the air in 2021.
“If it hadn’t been for that lighted sign, I never would have turned off the highway,” Hawkins said, grateful that he also managed to snag a bite of dinner. “It’s a great story. We have to come back.”
Be a part of the Palace’s renaissance this Saturday evening, May 14, at 7 p.m., with the kickoff event for the Performances at the Palace 2022 season. Tickets are still available; reserve yours at PalaceSpur1929@gmail.com.
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