• Monies will go towards renovation projects at Ford Theatre
Salt River Arts Society’s First Annual Gala for the Arts, held last Saturday, hosted over 150 guests who enjoyed dinner, dancing, non-stop entertainment, and a few moments dedicated to reflecting on the history of the Ford Theatre in downtown Afton. Organizers also unveiled two architectural renderings for a new facade to the nearly 90-year-old building.
Donations, as well as silent auction and ticket sales, brought proceeds from the event to more than $14,000 in support of the ongoing renovation of the Ford, which is now in need of a new roof, parking lot drainage work to stop building flooding, and architectural and engineering costs. SRAS has qualified for a match grant of $35,000 which the non-profit has agreed to match. According to James Arbizu, Theatre owner and SRAS officer, “the match is expected, but not required, to get the funds.” July 1 of this year is the soft deadline to have the matching funds raised. An additional $80,000 is needed to build the new facade.
As part of the Gala evening, Taylor Wray, who is the grandson of the original theater creators, owners and operators, gave a brief history of the birth of the theater and what activities looked like during its early years. Built in 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression, by C.S. (Cannon Silver) and Myrtle Wray, the building was first known as the Wray Theatre.
Taylor shared memories of the theatre in its glory days, which included his grandmother singing for the crowd during the changing of the film reels. “Back then, [a ticket to a show] cost a quarter, but it was free for me. I got to walk right in.” He spoke of annual fundraisers for the Afton Fire Department, Christmases when the children of Star Valley attended a matinee and then sat on Santa’s lap. “It’s so fun to go to the theater again. I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight and keeping alive the vision that my grandparents had for the theater back in 1935.”
In 1974, Dave Horsley purchased the Wray Theatre and changed its name to The Ford because he owned and operated the Ford Auto Dealership next door. Unable to attend the Gala due to illness, Dave Horsley Jr. shared a history of the theater during the Horsley years via a letter which was summarized at the Gala by SRAS representative Brandon Burnham.
“The ‘70s were a really good time to have a movie theater because they had shows like “Star Wars” and “Jaws” and all those other fun movies that we all rewatch again and again and again,” shared Burnham. Movies through the ‘80s were fun, but the theater began to struggle once cable TV became available in homes, so they had to get creative. They began offering free matinees on Saturdays and free movies during the holidays. At the request of the Star Valley High School orchestra teacher, the theater began showing silent films so that the orchestra could play for the silent movies, which made national news, bringing NBC to Afton to feature the unique collaboration between the theater and the school.
With the opening of Skyview Lanes in 2010, the theater closed until 2017, when current owners, James and Daphne Arbizu, acquired the theater on lease and formally purchased the building in 2020. They had contemplated restoring the building to a movie theater, but their work on that faced significant complications, and they turned their focus to creating a space for the arts.
“In the middle of COVID, we were trying to figure out how we could make this work with the arts, and we put together a nonprofit board to run this and to make everything happen. At the end of that lease option, the Salt River Arts Society was going strong and we ended up purchasing it through the non-profit,” James explained at the Gala.
Because the theater is linked to other space in the building, including apartments, for nonprofit tax purposes, the Arbizu’s purchased the building and long-term lease it to SRAS.
“It was a great movie theater, but it wasn’t a great stage,” James continued. There were no stage lights or sound. We were able to get a grant to put in great lights and great sound.”
Last year, a patron of the Ford approached James offering a sizable donation to help reinvent the facade of the theater and support other renovation needs, so SRAS began the process of designing a new facade.
The theater is still in need of donations toward the match grant funds. Individuals who visit SaltRiverArts.com, and go to the Theater Donors tab, can choose from donation or sponsorship levels, some of which would give them a plaque with their name on it hung in the foyer of the theater or on a seat in the performance hall. Individuals can also be involved as volunteers or as SRAS Board Members.
The public is also invited to vote on the design for the new facade. To vote, please like the Ford Theatre’s Facebook page. A survey is being created to allow voting from the theater’s social media accounts.
Lauren Preston, the organizer of the Gala, expressed gratitude on behalf of the SRAS for everyone who generously invested in and attended the event on Saturday. “This new chapter in the life of the Ford Theatre is going to be focused on bringing the community into the theater and having it as a space to really grow and interact and create. Thank you so much to our wonderful community for being as supportive as you are and helping us to bring this amazing restoration of the theater to fruition. The talent that we have seen here tonight, if that doesn’t show how badly we need a stage for this Valley, I don’t know what does!”
