By Jasmine Willis
DANSVILLE — It doesn’t seem like a whole year has gone by since we had a final call for our favorite Movie Man.
Edgar Schmidt is someone most of us think about often. He remains in the hearts of this community every time we drive by the theater, he devoted much of his life too.
Schmidt passed away on Oct. 12,2019 after a battle with cancer. It hit this community really hard. There was a full memorial service including military honors on Oct. 14, 2019 at the Star Theatre. People from all over the region had come to make their last respects to a dear friend.
We all knew at that moment things would never be the same for our small-town. We never knew just how bad things would get until Covid 19 happened.
Schmidt wasn’t only a guy who kept our historic theatre alive. He was so much more. He was our friend. He was someone who always had a smile. He always had a kind word. He could brighten up your entire day. He got excited about new films coming to his very own local theatre.
Yes, I believe I can speak for all of us when I say we will always miss our Movie Man. However, in the times of Covid 19 it seems like we have lost him all over again.
We had been shut down from the movie theaters due to all the pandemic regulations. This is no fault of anyone in the community, owners of the theatre, or any of the family. This was just the horrible luck of this terrible Covid 19 just taking another thing away from us.
The beloved theatre had its doors shut for a long time. The family and friends of Edgar Schmidt had to go through this pain all over again.
When you enter the theatre, you know that our Movie Man’s spirit is still there with you. He is in our hearts as we watch the latest film. He is in our immense joy as we eat the special movie popcorn. He is part of our world for a magical night at the movies.
It is my great hope that on Oct. 23 the Star Theatre will be allowed to come back to life. They will be allowed to dust off the Covid 19 Pandemic. There will be plenty of laws and rules of course, but we must be kind to the family. It must be hard to operate in these unknown times.
I am sure I can speak for many of us about the joy I felt when Star Theatre announced they would be getting ready to open again as early as Oct. 23. I am sure I can speak for many of us about the joy it will be to sit in our favorite movie theatre once more.
Our Movie Man is remembered in the words above Star Theatre, the hearts of the community, and the legacy he left behind with his family.
Remember we are all looking forward to seeing the lights come back on Star Theatre. Yet we must also follow the rules set forth to enjoy the movie theatre our Movie Man called home. Be kind and respectful.