For those with a penchant for Ogden City history, the Standard-Examiner's Nancy Van Valkenburg provides a masterfully well researched documentary-style story this morning, chronicling the history of Ogden's wonderful downtown gem, Peery's Egyptian Theater. Ms. Van Valkenburg traces events surrounding the Egyptian Theater with a marvellous array of interviews and anecdotes. And we swear you're going to love the part where Ms. Van Valkenburg relates how a group of community minded ladies from the Weber County Heritage Foundation saved this very unique example of "1920's Egyptian kitsch" architecture from the wrecking ball in 1988... by stout-heartedly mortgaging their own homes, and taking the then-languishing theater off the hands of the former owner, who was fully prepared to transform it into another Godfrey-style dirt parking lot.
Read Ms. Van Valkenburg's full article here:
• The show must go onMs. Van Valkenburg's article is of course plainly published as an introductory "tickler" for an important upcoming Ogden City event, namely, "The Grand Celebration" to commemorate the 85th birthday of Peery's Egyptian Theater (and the 75th anniversary of Ogden Pioneer Days,) which is calendared for this coming Saturday. For the full skinny on this event, click the following Egyptian Theatre Foundation information link:
• Peery's Egyptian Theater - 85th Birthday CelebrationWe do hope our readers will plan to attend. And we'll also snarkily remark in passing that we wonder what might have happened if former absentee owner Dr. Broadbent's planned Egyptian Theater demolition had been scheduled during Boss Godfrey's watch. Remember, it ultimately took the cooperation of "five entities," including Ogden City, to make the theater's restoration a reality.
So many questions... so few answers.
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