Wednesday, March 12, 2008

HERE IT IS! THE FIRST FAST-FOOD HAMBURGER RESTAURANT IN MAQUOKETA.
THE VOY THEATRE OPENED ON MARCH 21, 1973. THIS WAS SANDY'S CORNER SIGN. SANDY'S OPENED A SHORT TIME BEFORE THE THEATRE DID. I'M NOT SURE IF IT WAS WEEKS OR MONTHS. IT WAS LOCATED NORTH ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE
FUNERAL HOME. IN FACT, LAHEY'S FUNERAL HOME NOW OWNS THE BUILDING, WHICH IS RENTED FOR OFFICE SPACE. AND PART OF THE PARKING LOT IS NOW USED FOR THE FUNERAL HOME. SANDY'S WAS A POPULAR PLACE. THE BUILDING WAS VERY SMALL IN THE BEGINNING AND BEFORE IT WAS CLOSED, THE DINING ROOM WAS ENLARGED FOR ADDITIONAL SEATING. I'M NOT SURE WHEN IT WAS CONVERTED TO A HARDEE'S RESTAURANT, BUT I REMEMBER THAT HARDEE'S WAS IN BUSINESS UNTIL AROUND THE LATE 80'S, CLOSING SOMETIME SOON AFTER MCDONALD'S OPENED. IT WENT ON AFTER MCDONALD'S OPENED FOR AWHILE, THEN THERE WAS A FIRE AT THE RESTUARANT, AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT EVER OPENED AGAIN AFTER THE FIRE. AT THAT TIME, IT WAS A MAJOR SETBACK TO BE THE ONLY BURGER PLACE AND THEN HAVE MCDONALD'S COME IN AS A COMPETITOR. THE VOY THEATRE WILL CELEBRATE THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY MARCH 21ST THRU MARCH 27TH. BECAUSE IT IS SPRING BREAK TIME, THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL MARCH 21ST AND 24TH. FOR FOUR DAYS, MARCH 21ST, THRU THE 24TH, THE THEATRE WILL HAVE A MATINEE SHOWING OF ALL 3 MOVIES AT 2 EACH AFTERNOON AND THE ADMISSION WILL BE THE VOY THEATRE 1973 ADMISSION RATE OF $1.25 FOR ADULTS AND 75-CENTS FOR KIDS. REGULAR ADMISSION RATES WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR EVENING SHOWS THAT WEEK. PLUS, ALL WEEK LONG, DAY AND NIGHT, WE WILL HAVE POP FOR 35-CENTS AND POPCORN FOR 35-CENTS. AND, THEATRE GOERS WILL BE INVITED TO REGISTER FOR A DRAWING FOR THIRTY-FIVE $10 GIFT CARDS. THE VOY THEATRE STARTED OUT AS A SINGLE SCREEN THEATRE
IN THE BUILDING THAT WAS FORMERLY THE IH FARM EQUIPMENT DEALERSHIP.
TWO YEARS LATER, THE VOY 2 WAS ADDED TO THE SOUTH, AFTER STILE'S CLEANERS CLOSED. BOTH HAVE SEATING FOR AROUND 200. THE SMALLER VOY 3 THEATRE
OPENED IN 1981. IT REPLACED A NAPA AUTO SUPPLY BUSINESS. THAT AUDITORIUM IS IN THE TOM PEKOSH BUILDING AND I RENT THAT BUILDING FROM HIM.
BOB KING, KNOWN IN MAQUOKETA ALSO AS "ROUNDY THE CLOWN", WAS THE
FIRST FULLTIME MANAGER OF THE THEATRE IN 1973. JACK JONES OF MAQUOKETA, FRESH OUT OF COLLEGE, WAS HIRED TO BE THE MANAGER AFTER KING MOVED OUT OF TOWN. THIS WAS EARLY IN 1975. JACK IS STILL MANAGER TODAY, AND ALSO IS MANAGER OF MY 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE, WHICH OPENED IN
1950. WHILE I SPEND MOST OF MY TIME AT KMAQ, JACK HAS ALWAYS DONE MOST OF THE THEATRE WORK. FOR MANY YEARS, I WOULD RUN THE THEATRE ON HIS NIGHT OR DAY OFF. I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF MOVIES OVER THE YEARS.
I AM ONE WHO HAS A HARD TIME REMEMBERING A MOVIE FOR LONG, AND WHO STARRED IN IT. JACK, ON THE OTHER HAND, SEE MOST MOVIES REMEMBERS THEM ALL. HE HAS AN EXCELLENT MEMORY OF THE PLOT AND THE STARS. BY THE WAY, I MENTIONED THAT THE DRIVE-IN OPENED IN AUGUST OF 1950, BUT I DID NOT BUY IT UNTIL THE SPRING OF 1972. ONE OTHER NOTE, BOB KING WAS LATER MURDERED IN A MISSOURI HOUSE ROBERY A FEW YEARS YEARS AFTER LEAVING MAQUOKETA. AFTER YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION, ONE PERSON SAID THE A & W ON SOUTH MAIN STREET WAS THE FIRST FAST FOOD RESTAURANT. IT REALLY WASN'T ONE, AS WE NOW KNOW THEM. IT WAS A DRIVE-IN RESTUARANT AND THEY ARE STARTING TO COME BACK AGAIN. ANYWAY, MAQUOKETA AND THE SURRONDING AREA WAS QUITE EXCITED 35 YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF A NEW
FAST FOOD RESTAURANT AND NEW THEATRE. AND WITHIN A FEW YEARS, MAQUOKETA WAS ONE OF THE FIRST CITIES IN THE STATE TO HAVE A MULTIPLE
SCREEN THEATRE. IT HAS BEEN FUN! THERE HAVE BEEN MANY GOOD MOVIES
AND MANY BAD ONES. MANY GOOD YEARS AND MANY BAD ONES. THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF SELL-OUTS AND MANY NIGHTS WHEN ONLY 1 PERSON SHOWED TO SEE A MOVIE. LOTS OF WAYS TO SEE A MOVIE THESE DAYS, BUT YOU JUST CAN'T
BEAT SEEING A MOVIE ON THE BIG SCREEN, ENJOYING THEATRE POPCORN AND HOLDING HANDS WITH YOUR DATE. THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS OVER THE YEARS.....AND COME HELP US CELEBRATE THE 35TH.
DENNIS VOY

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