"Bailey Theatre burns its mortgage" article by Murray Green, Camrose Booster
After many years of fundraising and hard work, the staff and volunteers can celebrate the Bailey Theatre mortgage being paid off in 2025.
“We are ecstatic. We are so grateful for the City of Camrose for paying the remaining mortgage on our theatre. Thank you to the Vision Credit Union for your faith in us. You have been flexible with us and encouraged us to help us reach this goal,” said Colleen Nelson, Bailey Theatre Society president, about the news the City was presenting the Bailey with about $180,000 to pay off the mortgage.
“We realized that paying off the rest of their mortgage would put them in a better position. We see the Bailey as a gem in the city and we wanted to support the Bailey Theatre. We had quite a bit of deliberation during budget time, but this is something council wanted to do. We appreciate the arts and culture that it brings and it supports the community and the Bailey Theatre is a big part of that,” said Mayor PJ Stasko.
“On behalf of everyone at the Bailey Theatre Society, we would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who has supported our Burn the Mortgage Campaign this year. With your help, we’ve achieved something truly remarkable–we reached our 2024 fundraising goal and paid off $24,024 toward our principal,” said Colleen, before the City came up with some extra funds.
“The ongoing support from our community means so much to us and plays a vital role in enabling us to continue bringing high-quality events to the stage. Your generosity allows us to keep the spirit of arts and culture alive in Camrose, and for that, we are incredibly grateful. Then we received unexpected good news,” added Colleen.
“We have even more exciting news to share with you–news that makes this milestone even sweeter. The City of Camrose has committed to supporting our efforts by agreeing to pay off the remaining balance of our mortgage. This means that the 2024 Burn the Mortgage campaign will be the final one we’ll ever need to hold. What an incredible relief, and what a monumental moment for our theatre and our community,” said a relieved Colleen.
“We are deeply grateful to the City of Camrose for this extraordinary contribution. Their generous support means that we can now focus fully on what we do best–providing outstanding arts programming and creating a space where the community can come together to celebrate culture,” she continued.
“Thanks to all of you, the Bailey Theatre is now in a stronger position than ever to continue serving this wonderful community. We are excited for what the future holds and look forward to many more years of sharing performances, events, and experiences with you,” Colleen shared.
The Bailey Theatre started in 1910, 115 years ago. Here is some history, courtesy of the theatre.
Camille David left Winnipeg with a herd of cattle looking for a place to build a ranch. He found that place in the Rosalind area, and after selling his ranch, came to Camrose in the spring of 1909. He purchased a wine, liquor and cigar store on main street. In 1910, he started building the David Theatre across the street from his store. The first documented show was staged in the theatre on February 23, 1911.
The theatre was a very active venue in its early years with touring shows, films, amateur theatre, political rallies and even boxing matches. The theatre had electric lighting and even an orchestra pit. The stage was accessible from dressing rooms underneath where several actors autographed the walls in the early years.
In 1919, David sold the theatre to Stan Bailey who kept the David Theatre name for a few years before changing the name to reflect his ownership. He added the front 40 feet with a lobby area and a 120-seat balcony, which was completed in June 1922.
The theatre began its life with vaudeville and then moved onto silent movies in the 1920s and 1930s. The first “talkie” movie with sound to be shown in the theatre, was Peacock Alley in 1930. Stan and his brother Theo operated the theatre for many years and also had a travelling projector that they took on the road to show movies in many Camrose area communities.
Around 1940, the façade was reconstructed to create a classic art deco appearance. Black glass below with white plaster and racing stripes above gave the theatre a dashing new look. A new modern sign pylon with a metal marquee, complete with chaser lights and neon sign, were a major presence on Main Street for many years.
While live entertainment and dances continued to be held at the theatre through Second World War, soon after movies became the mainstay until the mid-1990s when a multiplex theatre opened and The Bailey could no longer compete.
In 1998, Landmark Cinemas donated the building and one of the two projectors to the Bailey Theatre Society. Volunteers repainted the pressed metal walls and ceilings, some structural work was begun. Unfortunately, the money ran out and work on the Bailey came to a stop.
The scope of the work was considerably more extensive than was originally thought. The building sat dormant until 2006, when a major benefactor stepped forward with a gift of $1.75 million and a further contribution of $750,000 to match any private donations from the community put the restoration of the theatre back on track.
Fundraising efforts were augmented by contributions from the City of Camrose, Government of Alberta and the federal government leading to the Bailey Theatre’s re-opening in time to celebrate its centennial in May 2011. The final construction costs were approximately $8,100,000.
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