August 16/14

ALMOST DONE

We're almost done !! Final sweep & tying up loose ends , pending final inspection , we're good to go .
We'll have a  "OPEN HOUSE ", with  some giveaways . Couple of shows, with all proceeds going to some local charities ,
Just a fun filled few days of celebrations,   After all we all deserve that !!

Foothills films are back too, their fist movie is on Thursday Sept, 25, title is not known at this time.

Now we can proudly announce that we have the latest 3 - D technology

JULY 15/15

JULY JOLLIES

Dear readers ,

We've been contemplating either to bring you the new pictures or not , but we'll be spoiling the surprise !!
It's been a while since the last update , and we do feel guilty for keeping all the news & secrets .So ,here it is ; A little glimpse into the world behind closed doors :

Things have been progressing famously. Putting in the paint ,carpeting , fixtures ,tiles etc.
Very soon the test run is planned as soon we pass all the final inspections & such .
Dusting , mopping & vacuuming are the order of the day .
Hopefully , in the very near future , we'll be welcoming you .
Honestly , thank you for your lasting patience & wait .

So , keep tuned for important announcements of good news  !

Well , SEE YOU AT THE MOVIES .

Kidwai Family

May 14/14

Hope this finds you in good health & spirits . I do apologize for  this delay in bringing you the latest . Our last one was posted around March 15^th .
Somehow I thought  I have to make you realize the painstaking wait we're enduring for this never ending  rebuilding . When you're counting on certain things to finish  in a timely fashion , and they don't , for whatever reason . It's very disheartening & disappointing .
We're at the mercy of the circumstances & between the rock & the hard place. This is why  it's so painful as the days turn into weeks, that melts into months , we're either waiting for trades , materials  or inspections. So , you may get a little taste of what we're going through . As far the waiting is concerned , we're all very used to it  ? Right !! .....May I dare mention  DRP ?

Actually , this is the best of times & also the worst of times !

Almost eleven months  since our town united , due to a disaster . And because of that , the care , love , charity , help  are the best examples of what can lift a human spirit . When you live in a community like that , well , what's more uplifting than that ?

Worst of time !!

I'm very sure that we're past that. You'll see them in the rear view mirror . And remember the warning on that mirror " some objects appear to be closer than they actually are " .

So cheer up ,  remember the sun is going to rise , Spring is all around , Babies are smiling , birds are singing !!

And yes Water !!
You should drink 4-6 glass  each  day .

Until next month ,

Remember us in your prayers,

Kidwai family

March 25/14

Howdy Folks !

Sure hope that all of you're doing fine under the circumstances. Our beloved town suffered and effected so many lives.

Times of adversity & hardship has made us united & determined . If it wasn't for the bad times , nobody will appreciate the good times.

Just look at the  cold & snowy weather lately . We sure are going to cherish & appreciate the coming of the  spring & warm weather , with an eye on the MELT.

We're sure you have seen the destruction inside of the theater through the pictures , but let me assure you the work is ongoing.There are so many little things that have to be tied up which is consuming time. Just to bring you up to speed on certain things ;

• Main flooring of the Auditorium   is done with a new paint job on the walls.
  
  
• New boiler system has been installed & working fine for last 5-6 weeks after few glitches.
  
  
• New seats have been installed & you'll love them. They're 24" wide , 42" high backs with cup holders ( old seats were 19 " wide & 24" high ).

And there are fewer seats than before because of these bigger seats. We also created more room between the rows by taking out three complete rows of 14 seats each. Also we lost 3 seats to each row as the each  new seat is 5" wider .  Plenty of room now between the rows of seats as one can get up & go without the whole row of people being disturbed. The balcony remains untouched by the seat revolution. All this have drastically changed the capacity of the theater. It now stands at 248 compare to 335 before  the flood . And if our math is right , this makes 87 less seats.

• Working on to get the 3- D system by popular demand
  
  
• Front area is under some changes as all the doors & the front wall needs to be replicated.
  
  
• Everything that has to brought up to the all necessary updating of all the Health, fire ,building , food, plumbing , electrical is either done or in the process of finishing soon.

So, if you're in the neighborhood  & like to see the progress, watch for me and I'll more than happy to give you a tour. For those who are not acquainted , watch for a Tall , Dark &  ....handsome fellow !  well, 2 out of three ...close enough .

Wishing all of us a slow drip melt  & more updates next time including the Grand reopening date.

Kidwai family

Feb. 18/14

Recent visit by Minister of culture, Heather Klimchuk to Wales Theater & High River

Feb. 15/14

Mother of all Floods

Jan. 15/14

A picture is worth a thousand words,so here are some to show the extensive damage inside the Theater.

Will bring more next month of the changes since these pictures were taken.

HOW POOR ARE THEY THAT HAVE NOT PATIENCE ~ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

NOV 17/13

" BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO CAN GIVE WITHOUT REMEMBERING AND TAKE WITHOUT FORGETTING "

So here we are ! November already ? Time sure flies as you get older. I may be wrong about that as one old timer told me the other day ,while shopping ,that I was just a spring chicken!

Funny, I don't remember the last time i was chasing chicks!

All kidding aside,here is the latest :

We ran into some problems when we tried to fire up the boiler.Apparently the flood caused some damage to the heating pipes,which has to be replaced. That Just put us 2-3 weeks behind schedule.Hopefully it should be fixed by end of November.Meanwhile,we're using portable heaters.

Our Light fixtures were nixed by the Safety inspectors. We approached and  are very happy that  Connie & Bob Pike of Pike studio in High River has agree  to replicate  them. Last week we checked the sample and were very impressed how it turned out.

Found the large glass tiles from the lobby ,made by a company in states,very close to what we have.Will give a final approval once we get a sample to compare .Very hard to replicate/match to 88 yrs techniques& materials.

We need your feedback on 3-D system.Should we get it .You know the drawback on that is the 3-D company will dictate us to charge extra for the 3-D movies.Please let us know if you're in favor or don't really care one way or the other.This is the good time to get it as we're already down for few more weeks.

Thank you & a special heartfelt ,gooey & fuzzy feelings for everyone for their kind words ,especially messages left on the FACEBOOK. You gave us the strength,wisdom & patience to proceed with this big task. In the face of personal adversity,uncertainty & concerns, you cared . This just confirms that you folks are wonderful & we live in a caring town.

Now if you excuse us,we're going to our front door,open it & scream to let mother nature know.... "This is High River,we live here & we are not going anywhere .......SO,get used to it !!!!"

God bless ,

Kidwai family

OCT.18/13

Continued saga of rebuilding & dreaming again !!

So, here we are !!  Those lazy & hazy days of summer are behind us ?
Last summer sure was not lazy ,you will agree.The nights are getting longer & the days  shorter, and so are the tempers .The transformation the town is going through is tremendous , which will be felt , I'm afraid , in coming months & years. The very slow progress you see , especially downtown business area, after four months,is depressing & heart warming. Once we're not MAKING the headlines, everything has come to a crawl.
Businesses are not coming back, Doctor's leaving & buildings, houses being condemned ,These folks need some assurances and a  plan for them to dream again for future right here in High River.
To mitigate or not to mitigate, that's the question , we all  are pondering. No matter what ,most of us are staying to see this through. Hopefully the new council can keep the pressure on the Provincial & federal Governments to  get a speedy recovery & necessary steps for any future disasters.
Please forgive me if I sound like a pessimist ! But remember, the Pessimist is an Optimist with experience.
Here is the latest : To bring everything to code,Electrical is 95% done ,so is the plumbing. New boiler should be running by next week . Second phase of Inspection for all is due next week Walls , Insulation in the basement  are done.Now we'll be starting in the Auditorium ,Lobby & bathrooms.New 3-D screen has been ordered & should be delivered in 2-3 weeks. Flooring & tile work is slated to start  first week of November. So, things are coming along slowly but surely.
More updates next month &  hopefully we can narrow down the opening date for re-opening !
God bless & Smile... It's contagious  & also make people wonder what you're up to !

Kidwai Family

Sep.13/2013

EVERYTHING IS OKAY IN THE END. IF IT'S NOT OK ,THEN  IT'S  NOT THE END !

It's been the summer of  discontent for all of us ,I'm sure . And we at the theater, are facing the same problems as everybody else.

It's been like hurry up & wait.The trades are very  busy & are in full demand, not only in High River but also everywhere in Southern Alberta.This has caused for their prices to go up ,and they are also getting very selective about the jobs they want. We couldn't  find anybody willing to do the jobs locally , which is very disappointing & frustrating. We do business here & like to give our business to locals. But under the new "norm",we've no choice but to go wherever we can get help. Consequently, we have companies & trades from Calgary, Vancouver, Saskatchewan and as far away as Ontario. They're good people to deal with, but  they're  not our neighbors or acquaintances. Please don't get us wrong. Some of the trades locally wanted to do the work ,but we had to wait for anywhere from 4 - 8 weeks. In one case they told us that it will be after Christmas before they get to us. Time is one luxury we don't have.

Furthermore, the whole building has to be brought up to the current Building Codes. As most of you are probably aware of the building's age ( 86 yrs young). Flood exposed quite a few surprises including plumbing, electrical & heating. Most of you remember the latest renovations  by us since year 2000.

Plumbing, electrical, sound & flooring upgrades In Year 2000. In 2006, it was the new seats ,new Dolby sound,reconfiguration of the auditorium,floors,bathroom upgrades. Most recently last year, Jan. 2012, we installed new Silver screen,3-D ready ,Digital system.

Now it seems that every single thing has to be replaced except the projector & sound system.Also this upgrading is very time consuming & monetary crippling. The result of all is this has made the progress at a snail pace.Trying to match & or replicate is very time consuming.But we're getting there,slowly but surely.

Enough for this update as we don't want this to turn into a drama.
Please keep us in your prayers. Nothing can keep the human spirits down. Thank you,

Sincerely,

Kidwai family

As of today, this is the latest. After almost seven weeks of out of business, due to the floods of June,20^th, and consulting with different levels of the Government & their promises of assisting,and most of all, our insurance Co.(CO-OPERATOR) we're proceeding with the complete rebuild, repair & rejuvenation  of our beloved theater.

This process is going to be lengthy & expensive, but we are going to do our best to find & match the original finish & materials, if possible. Because our theater is a Heritage Bldg. we're being assisted by the Alberta heritage & culture (thank you Mr. Fraser Shaw)  & Irene Kerr of  Museum,  for restoring assistance.

This is going to be time consuming as you may have noticed, the building have suffered extensive water damage. Beside the projector & the sound system, almost everything was effected by the chocolate milk water & very high humidity.

We would like to thank Town of High River Staff & Mayor Emile Blokland for their assistance, and especially, you, who have kept us in their prayers & well wishes.