Why we're fabulous: the Monte Rio Theater story
A Quonset to Remember
The Rio Theater is situated along the Russian River at the base of Bohemian Highway Bridge in tiny Monte Rio, California. Assembled and constructed in 1949 by the local general store owner Sid Bartlett, it’s one of a handful Quonset Hut theaters still showing movies. Original Quonset Hut structures were affordable war surplus pre-fabricated buildings, and their half dome shapes still dot the landscape -- and not just as theaters. In 1946, one manufacturer of Quonset huts, Stran-Steel, listed 257 possible uses!
Running Fence on Empty
Thomas Dean, the owner of the Rio from 1972 – 1984, knew Christo and his wife Jeanne-Marie, the creators of Running Fence, which was a fabric art installation that ran across ranches in Marin and Sonoma to the coast. As the fence was taken down and disassembled, Dean and The Rio ended up with what is now the largest intact piece of the fence. Running Fence hangs from the ceiling of the Rio. The documentary team of Albert and David (Grey Gardens) Maysles chronicled the arduous process of making the art piece, in a film entitled Running Fence.
Meet The Schafferts
Suzi and Don Schaffert ran the theater from 1993 to 2014, a heyday period for the theater. Don remembers his first moving going experiences at the Rio in the 1950s as a youngster. There was a beautiful stadium floor bedecking the area between the theater and the river, with roller skating and other activities galore. Don’s Dogs are remembered with fondness by locals. Note the hot dogs in cement on the theater grounds. Don and Suzi are also responsible for hiring talented locals like Jason Long, who worked on the interior and exterior murals. They also oversaw the challenge of digital conversion in 2012, a tremendous hurdle for small theaters all over when studios started to only make films available as a digital file.
The Group
A number of people stepped in to save and run the theater during critical times. Colin Mutchler and Zach Braff are among those who prevented the theater from becoming a parking lot. The current crew is David and Kim Lockhart and Rachel Price.