Based on the strength of its films, theatrical performances and community ties, the theatre survived the Great Depression, offering food raffles and drives, screened wartime news reels in the 1940s, and provided a venue for popular musical acts of the day, including a 1956 performance by then teen heartthrob Elvis Presley.
Elvis’s faded signature still remains scrawled on the wall of the third floor dressing room.
“Everybody’s like, ‘I want to see Elvis’s autograph,’’’ Sikora says of the tourist attraction. “It’s so small.”
However, with the advent of television and suburban sprawl pulling businesses and audiences from the downtown area, the Polk’s star faded during the 1960s and 1970s. Threats of razing the landmark spurred concerned residents to save the historic site. In 1984, the nonprofit Polk County Landmarks, now Polk Theatre Inc., purchased the building for $300,000 and bankrolled the renovations that wiped the smudge and returned the sparkle to the Polk County gem.
Today, the Polk draws crowds of more than 30,000 annually.
The main demographic attracted to the theatre are 50 to 75-year-old “theatre-lover-Broadway-type people,” Sikora says.
“Lots of films we screen are interesting, suggestive, ya know, whatever,” Sikora says of the often risqué content. However, she’s never heard a peep of complaint from the mostly elderly audiences. “It fascinates me; I’m thrilled.”
With creative programming and modest $3.75 ticket prices for seniors and students and $5.50 tickets for adults, a night at the Polk is an attractive bargain.
Theatre rental is also a modest option for community theatrical events, conferences—even weddings, with full-day rental at $800, half-day rental at $400. A movie screening can be thrown in for an additional $400.
“We just try to break even,” Sikora says. “We just want to provide a place for people to see movies. We’re not interested in a profit.”
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