Each month, Iowa Backroads will follow-up on previously featured photos that are in the news:
Corning Opera House(Featured October 19, 2010)
Only $100,000 remains in the fundraising campaign to restore the Opera House in Corning in Adams County. Work continues on the interior, and the group aims to have renovations complete in spring 2012. Send donations to the Opera House, 710 Davis Avenue, Corning, Iowa 50841, or visit the website for more information.
Mitchell County Courthouse(Featured November 3, 2010)
County supervisors are discussing repairs and renovations to the 150-year-old Mitchell County Courthouse, which needs a number of updates. Read more: Mason City Globe-Gazette has more.
Royal III Theatre(Featured February 3, 2011)
Renovation work is underway in the 100-year-old Royal III Theatres building in Le Mars. Theatre seats, which will be replaced, are available for $8 each. Read more: Le Mars Daily Sentinel
Postal service in the Kossuth County community of Fenton dates to 1880, though the location moved west in 1899 to align with new railroad construction. The Fenton Post Office was located in a number of buildings in the business district prior to moving to its current location in 1970. The post office moved to the new space following the closing of the Fenton Drug Company, one of the community’s oldest businesses. The renovated building featured new post office boxes, letter drops, and office equipment.
Residents in the Plymouth County seat of Le Mars were left with a void when the Royal III movie theatre closed its doors in November 2009. After sitting empty for over a year, Sioux City resident Eric Hilsabeck purchased the former theatre December 29, 2010. Before reopening, the interior will be updated to comply with current building and fire codes, and the restroom and lobby will be enlarged. In addition, the three theatres will be upgraded with new seats, curtains, and speakers, plus high-definition projectors and screens capable of showing 3-D films.
The city is assisting the project with a $150,000 forgivable loan. Hilsabeck says the revamped Royal III Theatre will show first run movies at least 50 cents cheaper than the closest cinemas in Sioux City and Sioux Center. The theatre is expected to reopen this spring.
In 1936, thirteen local clubs contributed funds to start a subscription library in the Buena Vista County community of Albert City. The library charged $1 to families who wished to subscribe to the library, with first year membership income totaling $103. The Albert City Public Library was officially established in April 1939 when the city agreed to provide tax support to the organization. Originally located in a portion of the city hall building, the library moved to its own location in 1967, and residents celebrated in 1999 when a brand new library building was dedicated.
The brick library sits along the south side of Main Street in downtown Albert City; upgrades have continued since the new location opened, including a new teen zone in 2009 which features nine new desktop computers. The library is open Monday through Friday.
Named after an officer for the Illinois Central Railroad line, the Cherokee County community of Quimby was founded in August 1887, and a post office was established two months later. The Quimby Community Center, which sits along Main Street in the town of 368 residents, serves as the regular meeting spot for six community organizations, including the American Legion and Auxiliary, a Senior Citizens group, and the local Red Hat Society.
It is also a focal point in the annual Watermelon Days celebration, held in Quimby each June. Over 3,000 pounds of watermelon are served during the weekend event, which features amusement rides, a children’s parade, and a golf tournament at the 9-hole course located on the southeast side of town.
Featuring a new Iowa photo each weekday; dedicated to discovering and documenting the best of small-town Iowa.
