Westgate Outdoor Theatre (Racine, Wisconsin): Difference between revisions
Westgate Outdoor Theatre (Racine, Wisconsin) (edit)
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With the opening of the [[Westgate Cinema (Racine, Wisconsin)|Westgate Cinema]] indoor theater across the street in 1968, the outdoor theater declined in popularity. In the mid-1970s, the nearby [[Christ Church United Methodist (Racine, Wisconsin)|Christ Church United Methodist]] offered Sunday morning outdoor worship services at the theater.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45547719/the_journal_times/ "News of the Churches"], [[Racine Journal Times]], June 22, 1974, page 4A.</ref> These events sometimes included pastors from other churches as part of the "Community-All Faiths Worship series".<ref>Dose, Emmert H. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45547898/the_journal_times/ "Outdoor theater is place of worship"], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 16, 1977, page 4.</ref>
Westgate Outdoor Theater ended the 1978 season without fanfare on September 18, showing a double feature of ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_(1978_film) The End]'' (1978) and ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gator_(film) Gator]'' (1976), both directed by Burt Reynolds.<ref name=cinematreasures/> After Jewel shut down all Turn Style stores that year, the Racine store was one of three that was not subleased to [[The May Department Stores Company]] to become a [[Venture Stores|Venture]] store. Instead, [[ShopKo]] became interested in the location. Originally planning to renovate and expand the Turn Style building,<ref>Pfankuchen, David. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45557907/the-journal-times/ "ShopKo may buy ex-Turn Style store"], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 28, 1978, page 1D.</ref> ShopKo later proposed tearing down both the store and the theater to build a new shopping center.<ref>Pfankuchen, David. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45558718/the-journal-times/ "ShopKo key to development"], [[Racine Journal Times]], February 4, 1979, page 1C.</ref> The theater was demolished in May 1979, shortly after the thirtieth anniversary of its opening.<ref>Conrad, Fred W. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45559379/the-journal-times/ "Goodbye to Westgate" (editorial)], [[Racine Journal Times]], May 8, 1979, page 6A.</ref> It was replaced by the [[Westgate Mall Shopping Center (Racine, Wisconsin)|Westgate Mall Shopping Center]], which opened in November 1979.
==References==
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