In Luverne, Community Leaders Help Restore a Piece of their History

Perhaps no community in the state understands the value of recreation, culture and history better than Luverne.

In September 2007, the town rolled out the red carpet for the premiere of Ken Burns’ acclaimed PBS documentary, The War.  The town hosted the premiere because it was one of four communities in the United States selected as vantage points to tell the story of the lives impacted by World War II.  The selection of the town was no accident. Luverne is the hometown of Quentin Aaneneson, a WWII fighter pilot and hero; Charles Mann, one of the town’s first citizens to be wounded in battle; and Al McIntosh, editor of the Rock County Star Herald, who authored a series of columns that recalled the town’s emotion during the war.

Just in time for last year’s premiere, Luverne completed a large-scale renovation of its historical Palace Theatre.  The renovation, however, meant more to this small town of just 4,617 citizens than a place to host a Hollywood-caliber premiere.  The Palace is a revitalized community centerpiece, hosting community events and serving as a venue for the performing arts.

Betty Mann, 2007 BCLP alum, Luverne, is president of the Rock County Historical Society and a member of the Palace Theatre board. She said the selection of Luverne as a documentary premiere site gave the town the framing and the social capital needed to move forward with renovation.  “It pressured us to get it done, we’d talked about it before that, but the cost was so high,” she said.

The collective will was present but mobilization was another matter. The Palace, built in 1915, needed $1 million in upgrades to restore its appearance to the level it had been in the 1940s ­ the time of its last major overhaul.

Betty said the community answered the call. Donors large and small, through a massive fundraising effort, provided most of the money needed. Many major renovations were largely completed by the Sept. 6, 2007, premiere date. Getting the bulk of the project finished on time was critical.  The eyes of the state and even the nation turned to the small town when Ken Burns and his film came to town.

While renovation timing for The War was critical, the Palace is an asset that reaches much deeper into the fiber of Luverne than a single premiere. Connie Connell, 1998 BCLP alum and Palace Theatre Board member, notes that even day-to-day operations are truly a community endeavor.  “The only paid staff are a few high school students who run the projectors, everyone else is a volunteer,” she said.

The Palace is well used by the community, too.  In addition to movies, the theater is hosting a Monroe Crossing concert and several live theater and community events in December.  That widespread community use has been a benefit to Luverne, said Dan Nath, 2007 BCLP alum and Palace Board member.

“It is definitely a strong asset to the community,” said Dan, who was asked to run for the position of board member following his BCLP experience. “It keeps people in and coming back to the downtown ­ and that’s key to the success of any small town.”

There are still some renovations that the 12-member nonprofit board, which governs the Palace, would like to have completed. Betty said they would like to restore the ballroom above the theater to its 1915 condition.  There also is a 1926 theater organ ­ one of only five left in the country ­ to be restored to operational condition as well as balcony renovations to be made.

But while there is still work to be done, the BCLP alumni involved say there is much that already has been accomplished.

“It brings live events to the community,” said Betty.  “When I was growing up, it was the biggest form of entertainment at that time.  I think now it’s kind of returning to that.”

“When the marquis is on at night, it makes our town feel alive,” added Connie.

“When you see the Palace, you know you’re in downtown Luverne,” said Dan.

Photos courtesy of the Rock County Star Herald, Lori Ehde, editor