Sandpoint theater still magical

I was saddened to hear of the closing of the Magic Lantern in Dan Webster’s article, “Magic may be gone from small theaters” (June 6). Spokanites may no longer have easy access to thought-provoking films that aren’t just a series of car crashes. But maybe Spokanites weren’t really interested, as Webster “never saw more than a handful of people in the audiences.”

Hence I am doubly saddened about Webster’s apparent ignorance of Sandpoint’s community-owned Panida Theater, the beautiful 1927 theater where since 1985 large audiences regularly see a great variety of foreign and non-“blockbuster” American films. Obviously there is a future for such a theater in a town as small as Sandpoint.

The Panida does have a major advantage over an “art-house movie theater.” It was originally built to accommodate vaudeville. Hence it also serves as a venue for live theater, concerts, etc. This affords greater stability, much as in biological systems a diverse ecosystem is more stable than a simple one. Other major assets are executive director Karen Bowers, who manages the theater with enlightened practicality, and facilities manager Bill Lewis, who keeps it all running.

And did I mention the $1 popcorn?

John Harbuck

Sandpoint