A community pitches in to keep its historic movie theatre alive
In 1917, the Rumford family of Forest, Ontario, bought a building in the centre of downtown Forest and began showing motion pictures. They operated the Kineto Theatre for 60 years, until they sold it to the Kiwanis Club of Forest.
My first time at the Forest Kineto Theatre—more than 50 years ago—was as a wide-eyed youngster watching Black Beauty with my big sister. My friends and I watched our fair share of movies there during our formative years. In case you’re wondering, “Kineto” is short for “Kinetoscope,” which was the early type of projection system used.
I recall when the Kiwanis Club of Forest bought the Kineto from the Rumford family; my wife and I went to see Coal Miner’s Daughter. It was packed, and we had to sit in different rows, but the Kiwanis did their best to keep us close. Since the Kiwanis Club took over the Kineto in 1977, new seats have been installed twice, and the heating and air-conditioning systems have been upgraded.
In 1985, I joined the Kiwanis and have been active in promoting the Kiwanis’ Kineto Theatre ever since. At that point, the Kineto still had 1940s-era carbon arc projectors. Movies arrived on 20-minute reels and were very flammable. Once a movie started, the licensed projectionist could not leave the projection booth. The club was struggling with a heavy mortgage back then, and individual members signed bank notes to keep the theatre going. We saw the potential of property ownership and held on until we were able to do away with the mortgage, thanks to financial assistance from the community via raffles and donations. What a relief that was to the club! From there, we’ve never looked back.
When a theatre in nearby Sarnia closed its doors, we jumped at the chance to purchase their xenon lamphouses. Instead of using both, we kept one for parts and installed a system so that when movies arrived, they were spliced onto one large reel that operated much like an eight-track. Next was the installation of a Dolby 5.1 surround sound system, courtesy of volunteers with electrical and technical skills.
In September 2011, our movie booking manager came to us with some sobering news: 35-mm prints were becoming hard to acquire because of the introduction of digital equipment. Well, obstacles like this had never stopped the club or the community before. So, we began a campaign that November and soon had local service, social, sports and fraternal groups donating four-figure dollar amounts. Many local residents donated large sums as well. Thanks to all the support from many people in the town and surrounding area, large and small anonymous donations, grants from the Forest Community Foundation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Kiwanis Kineto Theatre was able to present its first digital movie in April 2012.
The Kiwanis Club of Forest threw a gala evening to honour significant contributors, and an open house was held where every member of the community was thanked for their help.
The theatre now has a new, up-to-date marquee, and we have also installed a chair lift, courtesy of a long-time member, to allow access to our basement meeting room—a room dug out and constructed by the club members. During all these upgrades, we have tried to maintain the historical aspects of the building along with its movie heritage, which is proudly displayed in our second-floor Kineto Museum.
In recent years, we have partnered with other local organizations to offer a number of community-oriented festivals, including the Lambton Film & Food Festival, held annually in downtown Forest on the last weekend in May, plus the Forest Film Festival, held during the fall and winter months, and the fall Forest Concert Series. These have met with great success.
In addition to the ongoing operation of the Kiwanis Kineto Theatre four nights a week, our 40-member club also sponsors an annual Santa Claus parade, a bike safety rodeo, a community kite festival, a babysitting course for teens, scholarship and citizenship awards in local schools, and a birthday greetings program for Forest’s seniors, in which local seniors receive either a birthday cake or theatre passes. Pancake breakfasts, bingos and other fundraisers help us provide these services to the community.
—by Ward Burr, Forest, Ontario