Bill would allow booze in old theaters

By: 
Steve Lyon
Eye On Weiser
A bill was introduced in the Idaho House on Monday with an interesting intent, and it could conceivably have a local impact.
 The legislation heads to the House floor for a vote with bipartisan support. If passed, it would allow historic theaters in the state to sell alcohol. 
 A theater that was built before 1950 and is on the historic register would be allowed to sell booze. Currently, there are an estimated 13 historic theaters in Idaho that potentially could benefit from the bill. 
 Could Weiser’s own Star Theater be one of those? It might, if it is listed on the historic register, which I believe it is.
 The bill’s backer, Rep. Mat Erpelding, of Boise, said historic theaters from Boise to Moscow to Sandpoint asked for the legislation.
 The old theaters in communities offer concerts, plays and other special events. The booze bill would give the stately old theaters the opportunity to increase revenue and remain viable.
 The Illustrious Onion Skin Players stage a fun and frivolous melodrama every March at the Star Theater in downtown Weiser. 
 They have done a great job fixing up the theater as funding allows. The new lettering on the marquee is neat. They should rent out the sign for celebrations or advertising when it’s not in use. 
 If you have ever attended a melodrama, which was the preferred entertainment of the Wild West in the 19th century, you know that audience interaction in the form of heckling the scurrilous villian is part of the show and encouraged.
 Adding a little alcohol to the mix sounds like a rollicking good time to be had by all. 
 
 • • •
 The political cartoon above touches on an insult to African Americans that I don’t get. It must be a southern thing.
 We’ve heard in the news that the governor of Virginia was in a photo in his medical school yearbook that showed people in blackface and someone in a KKK robe. Why that would be considered funny is beyond me, but he did and someone found it. 
 He has apologized for the boorish behavior. He won’t say if he was the one in blackface or wearing the KKK robe.
 Virginia’s attorney general led the chorus for the governor to step down. Then someone found a photo of the AG from a college party in 1984, and he’s doing the blackface thing too.
 I’ve never had the desire to dress as an ethnic minority, and that goes for Native Americans or whoever, thinking it would be fun.
 There’s another lesson to be learned. Insensitive gaffes can come back to bite and everyone has a camera these days.
 • • •
 From what I hear, there seems to be an abundance of wild turkeys in the area.   
 There is a group of the gobblers residing in and around Weiser that have stopped traffic on Highway 95 north of town as they leisurely cross the road.  
 Residents at the Cottages say the big birds come around just about every night to a field next to the buildings.
 There are some wild turkeys that have been hanging out at the Midvale airport and have worn out their welcome. 
 Idaho Fish and Game was notified and asked to remove the birds. A flock of turkeys on the runway or in the air is not a good mix with aircraft. 
 I don’t know how you get turkeys to relocate. You could put a border collie out there to run the birds around, but that would not keep them off the runway. 
 Some kind of scare tactic is probably used by IDFG officials to shoo the birds. Hopefully, they take the hint.
 Steve Lyon is the editor of the Weiser Signal American. Contact him at scoop@signalamerican.com.

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