History (Re) Photographed:
by Concordia College students in History 112HU, Fall 2016

Allison Johnson


Photo Credit: Ada Historical Center

            Seeing as though Ada, Minnesota has stayed at a population of about 1,800 residents, it is a relatively small town growing up in the same traditional northern roots as were made back in the 1910s when the town was just getting started. [1]When noticing that these roots include many traditions in their culture, Ada’s being Scandinavian, change is also needed when new technology and advancements are at high demand for society. This is especially important when keeping a town together and encouraging others to live and move to a small town since it may not have the advancements of a larger town or city. Ada has made some of these adjustments but has also stuck with some of their same original buildings.

            The buildings that are present in the photograph suggest that many families are present in the surrounding area and that their needs can be met at these stores and places of entertainment. Some of the changes that have been made in Ada are that there aren’t as many stores attracting families so there’s a lack of community being shown on Main Street. Some of the changes and accommodations that Ada have made since the 1930s were the stores and businesses on Main Street; these included a pharmacy, clothing stores and a mini mart. After all these years, the one thing that has stayed the same on Main Street since the 1930s is the movie theater. Since it is still standing and being used after 90+ years, this suggests that many families are still present in the surrounding area and that their needs can be met at these stores/places of entertainment.

            The movie theater is a source of entertainment that the whole family can enjoy and it really gives life to a community. George A. Waller wrote an article on why small-town theaters are important and should remain a standing source of entertainment across the country. He thinks that small towns’ environments gave movie theaters a boost in the right direction back in the 1930’s and helped make movies a hit very quick around the country. [2] With this being said, Ada talked about tearing the movie theater down in order for other construction to be made but they could never put this thought into action because the community wanted the history to remain. With securing this history though, some changes have been made in order for the theater to stay up to date.

           The movie theater has two screens showing two different movies on Thursdays, Fridays. Saturdays, and Sundays. This changed from being three screens to two in order for there to be more seating for the audiences in 1968. With the movies scheduled on weekends, this makes it easy for people who work weekdays. The movie theater then provides for good weekend entertainment as well as a chance to catch up with the latest culture. This is especially important to movie lovers and young people who like to stay up to date with films. It provides a safe space for entertainment that is needed for youth and this serves as one of the goals of a small town movie theater [3].

           Another goal of small town theaters is to bring a community together and create conversation that others can relate to. Waller mentions this when he talks about the old and young populations coming together that being able to talk about similar things, such as movies, and how important that is.[4] It creates a sense of unity which is needed in today’s age. Since small towns are usually close-knit it’s also important to have everyone on the same page about certain topics like movies so more relationships can be formed through sources of entertainment. Meeting people at the movies provides a good start to a relationship. This adds to a community’s culture and movie theaters will also provide a bonding experience for everyone which will in turn bring a community closer.

          Overall, Ada’s movie theater has remained apart of Main Street for many reasons but all pertaining to the sense of community. To become close-knit, conversation and similar relations have to be present in a small town. These things can be made by having a source of entertainment that all ages can enjoy and a movie theater can do just that.

Footnotes:
[1] Suburbanstats.org. "Current Ada, Minnesota Population, Demographics and Stats in 2016,
2015." SuburbanStats.org. Accessed November 28, 2016.
https://suburbanstats.org/population/minnesota/how-many-people-live-in-ada.
[2] Waller, Gregory A. 2005. "Imagining and Promoting the Small-Town Theater." Cinema Journal 44, no. 3: 3. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 23, 2016)
[3] Waller, Gregory A. 2005. "Imagining and Promoting the Small-Town Theater." Cinema Journal 44, no. 3: 8. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 23, 2016)
[4] Waller, Gregory A. 2005. "Imagining and Promoting the Small-Town Theater." Cinema Journal 44, no. 3: 6. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 23, 2016)