Personal connections to the Fox Theater
Ijust ran across an article from The Bakersfield Californian dated July 24, 1994. It was about the reopening of the Fox Theater written by Lois Henry. I can’t believe it’s been 28 years since the Fox reopened, but it seems the older I get the more I appreciate history.
Finding that article is a real blast from the past because that day is forever etched in my memory. Part of the article featured an interview she did with me and my daughter Rose.
I don’t remember being interviewed by Lois, but I do remember having my picture taken while perched at the top of an 8-foot ladder. I have that picture somewhere and believe me, no one wants to be photographed from that angle.
Me, Rose, and a group of about 20 other volunteers were the first people to walk through the open doors of the Fox Theater in more than six years.
It was like walking into Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It was dark, quiet and covered with dust. You wanted to talk in whispers.
There wasn’t any running water, hot or cold, but we were directed to do the best we could cleaning the seats, mirrors, countertops and bathrooms. They wanted everything clean enough to open the Fox immediately for some venues.
Since there wasn’t any water available, a hose was attached to an outside faucet and run into the building for us to use.
Rose was assigned to clean a loft at the top of the theater which was used by offstage actors. Birds entered the loft through a hole in the ceiling, nested and left several inches of pigeon poop. I don’t know what Rose did to improve that area.
I was assigned the women’s bathroom but cleaning most of it would have been impossible because the toilets had been used by homeless people who had broken into the theater at some point. The toilets couldn’t be flushed, and I was told they were going to be replaced with new ones as soon as possible.
I redirected my time to cleaning the huge floor to ceiling mirror in the women’s bathroom. It had candle wax and smoke embedded in it and took me all day to clean. Unfortunately, it was so smoke damaged I never got it totally clear.
At the end of the day, before the volunteers left, we were thanked and given a card to write down our impressions of the theater, why we volunteered and what memories we had of the Fox.
I often think about the other people who volunteered that day. Do they remember it as well and as fondly as I do? As for me, I’m glad Rose and I volunteered because it turned out to be an interesting day. What’s more, Rose and I will always have a personal connection to the Fox.