Politics, Culture, and Other Wastes of Time

Today, we head to the southern part of North Carolina to Kannapolis for our "Images of North Carolina" series.

The Tarheel State was in the spotlight yesterday as a result of the North Carolina Primary.

The economy of the North Carolina was a subject which came up in both the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns since the state has seen troubling times with the closings of textile mills. Kannapolis, NC, (about 30 miles north of Charlotte) was one such town affected by mill closings as Canon Mills was the main employer in town.

Kannapolis is also known as the hometown of the late race-car driver Dale Earnhardt, and town's minor league baseball team The Kannapolis Intimidators (see image) is named after Earnhardt, who was known as "The Intimidator."

The Gem Theatre is located on 11 W 1st Street. It initially opened for business on Dec. 31, 1936, but it burned to ashes six years later in 1942.

The cinema was rebuilt with 916 seats and a balcony in 1948, and it has been in existence ever since. It is the last remaining theatre of its kind in Kannapolis.

Today, one can get a small popcorn for an affordable $1.25 there, and a large popcorn is just $2 (hey those are 1981 prices!).

On Friday, The Gem Theatre opens "Drillbit Taylor," an Owen Wilson comedy. On June 6, the cinema will show the children's movie "Kung Fu Panda."

The movie theatre is among the historical sites that author Mike Lassiter photographed for his recent book "Our Vanishing Americana: A North Carolina Pursuit."

Useful Links:

http://www.gem-theatre.com

http://www.cinematreasures.org

Previous Entries:

1. Old Guilford Mill_ Oak Ridge

2. Eden Drive In_ Eden

3. Varsity Theatre_ Chapel Hill

4. Old Shell Station_ Winston-Salem

5. North Carolina Zoo_Asheboro

6. Snappy Lunch_ Mount Airy

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this