To the editor:

Reading the Nov. 30 weekend edition of your paper, I am concerned about the incorrect information written by Griffin Kelly.

1. The remark he said that came from Heather and myself — “said they don’t have much to say on the prospects of a Saranac Lake cinema.” His questions to me were about the movie business itself, and I had no comment. Reg was the person that ran the theater, and it was he who experienced the many changes in the industry. Heather was asked if she felt it would be a good idea for Saranac Lake to again have a movie theater, and she said that, not being from Saranac Lake, she could not wager an opinion.

2. The information about the Berkeley Theater — Peter, you and I went through this before, and the paper printed a correction. I really think you should do some checking and open an up-to-date file so the public is not misled in the future. You know it was Mr. Davis who purchased the building and opened the theater. He did all of the beautiful decorating and purchasing, and when it was ready to open, he hired Reg to manage the theater because of his expertise in theatre operation.

Reg used his status at the Palace to purchase films, buy concession supplies, purchase advertising and arrange for film transportation. Near the end of its operation, Reg and Mr. Davis put forth their own monies and resources (from the Palace) to keep the business open. As local support was lacking, and for some time there was no profit to be shared per their agreement, Mr. Davis made the decision to sell the building, which included the theater. Not wanting to operate the theater, Mr. Cecunjanin did make an offer to Reg. The offer was $1,000 a month rent and pay half of the fuel costs for THE ENTIRE BUILDING. Need I say more about the decision that Reg made? Reg purchased the theater contents, paying an agreed-upon price to Mr. Davis.

Since Mayor Rabideau started this conversation about Saranac Lake again having a theater, I have to assume there will be other articles in future editions of your paper. This is a difficult time for us, without Reg here to guide the theater. It is a business where the distributor of their product is constantly making it difficult for a small business to survive.

Sincerely yours,

Barbara Clark

Palace Theatre

Lake Placid