Westgate Outdoor Theatre (Racine, Wisconsin): Difference between revisions

In September 1951, the theater was acquired by the [[Papas-Spheeris Company]], which began major renovations in advance of the 1952 season. 650 new speakers were installed, post lights were added to improve visibility for drivers, and a children's playground was built at the base of the screen. Papas-Spheeris also renamed the venue, calling it the Westgate Outdoor Theatre.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45493575/the_journal_times/ "Improve Theater on Highway 20"], [[Racine Journal Times]], March 21, 1952, page 22.</ref> Westgate reopened on April 17, 1952, with a showing of the 1951 Western film ''{{W|Passage West (1951 film)|Passage West}}''.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15137889/westgate_drive_in_opening/ Advertisement], [[Racine Journal Times]], April 16, 1952, page 29.</ref> The theater, located in a low-lying area, was in the path of the natural sewage drainage of houses on Perry Avenue and in Mygatts Corners, and its operators had initially agreed to allow the water to flow across their property unobstructed. However, in April 1953, the theater's owners announced they would block the flow, and during a heavy rainstorm a few days later, their blockage caused the basements of nearby houses to be flooded. After complaints from residents and the town board of Mount Pleasant, the theater agreed to unblock the sewer until a permanent solution could be found.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45495729/the_journal_times/ "Mt.Mount Pleasant Board Calls Emergency Sewerage Meeting"], [[Racine Journal Times]], April 28, 1953, page five.</ref> An attorney for the theater argued that blocking the drainage "was a dramatic method of pointing out to residents of the township that they have a definite sewage disposal problem, and that the time to get busy and correct it is now." The incident provoked the ongoing discussion of how to integrate the growing suburban areas into the city of Racine's sanitary sewage system, which had historically required the areas to be annexed into the city.<ref>Edwards, Charles. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45499682/the_journal_times/ "Sewage Problem In Mt.Mount Pleasant Angers Residents"], [[Racine Journal Times]], May 1, 1953, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45499855/the_journal_times/ page 2].</ref>