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Historic Paragon Theatre Demolished
Historic Paragon Theatre Demolished
Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser
While the Paragon Theatre has been demolished, the plays, movies, musical performances, graduations and other special events that were held there will continue to live on in the memories of patrons and volunteers alike.
One of those patrons was Gene Hrabec. Beaver County owns the property and Deputy Reeve Hrabec said that council was faced with a “very tough decision” whether to save or demolish the historic building. However, because of the engineer’s report and assessment as well as the insurance assessment, Hrabec said, it left the future very bleak.
That engineering report and assessment were conducted following a flood in the theatre this past summer.
“It was even a harder decision for the fact that I grew up utilizing the theatre for my Christmas concerts and I got to see my first rock concert there. In the early 2000’s the theatre had great live performances and I took my daughter Sarah to her first concert there.
I sure hope that we can support the community in the future as culture is so important to rural Alberta.”
The Beaver Regional Arts Society (BRAS) played a huge role in the success of the theatre as it hosted many dinner theatres over the years. Back on Feb. 23, 2021, BRAS celebrated its 40th season, hosting an ABBA Tribute Band from Vancouver. That afternoon, four charter buses arrived from Edmonton for the performance, and it was a full house in the 285 seat theatre as tickets were sold out for weeks.
The local amateur theatre group, The Beaverhill Players, also played a pivotal part in the theatre’s history. Formerly known as the Beaver Regional Arts Centre, the grand opening of the Paragon Theatre was held from April 15-17, 2016. The Junior Players held two performances, there was a steak supper, musical performance, and late night movies during that weekend.
Dave Maruszeczka, has been the President of The Beaverhill Players since 2016. The theatre group has leased the building from Beaver County for many years. He said they managed to recover the video and sound equipment, big screen and other items before the demolition took place.
While Maruszeczka would have liked to have seen the theatre saved, he said the potential costs associated with rehabilitating the building were estimated to be somewhere between $800,000 and $1 million. Maruszeczka said the theatre had “great sound and character” that will be missed, along with the good times and laughs that were shared over the years. But he, along with other members of The Beaverhill Players, are hoping to find another venue to hold plays. “We’re still hoping to keep this alive.”
He said the Village of Holden has been gracious enough to allow the group to host Music Jams at the community hall in recent months. That has gone over well, and plans are to continue that in 2025.
