Shown here are some of the “Unpopped Colonels” - the LLC who purchased Devils Lake’s movie theater and their manager/remodeler Peter Foss. They are from left to right, Dean Bittner, Peter Foss, Jeff Teubner, Marco Tollefson and Patrick Streyle.
In an effort to sort through the rumors and bring some facts into the light, long-time resident and retired physician, Heidi Bittner, sat down with the Devils Lake Journal Tuesday, May 2 to make an announcement.
The Bittners, Heidi and Dean, with Marco and Julie Tollefson from the Lake Region, Jeff and Kathy Tuebner (Cando area residents), and Patrick and Melissa Streyle from Leeds have formed an LLC and are in the process of finalizing the purchase of the city’s movie theater, formerly known as Lake Three or more recently AMC.
The LLC’s name is the “Unpopped Colonels.” You get it, don’t you? It’s a clever play on words and they are planning to make this not-your-normal-movie-theater, too.
Peter Foss, well known actor, stage and set designer, is working with the “Colonels” to make inmprovements in the seating and what the facility features. Oh, there will be movies, of course, but eventually there might be live performances in one of the three theaters in the building.
They are talking about making many changes, these are creative people, who hope to one day offer comfortable seating, adult beverages and/or meals to elevate the theater-going experience to a whole new level.
First things, first, however.
They are working on a business plan, that’s a start.
At the most recent Devils Lake City Commission meeting the application for the Renaissance Zone status for this project was unanimously approved. Brad Barth of Forward Devils Lake and his Board as well as Scott Thompson from First United Bank are also working to help bring this to fruition, Heidi stated. It really does take a village to get everything done.
“Our plan is to start a major remodel after final approval from the State of North Dakota. Most likely mid May,” Heidi added.
How soon will they be open?
Bittner said it would most likely be mid to late summer – maybe later – before they’re ready to open. The building itself is in remarkably good condition even after sitting unused for more than a couple of years. She said they kept the heat on in the building, which really made a difference. They do, however, need to invest in some big-ticket items, like new and better seating and projectors, which you can imagine are very expensive and something you can’t just pop down to the corner store and pick up. Plus, arranging to show a movie in a theater is rather a complicated process beginning with permits and paperwork and learning how the whole process works. There are rules and regulations about how and when you can show certain films, how long you have to feature them, and so on. Obviously we all have a lot to learn about this business. It’s not as easy as you would think. But we will have our own movie theater, no matter how complicated the process gets and we can thank these folks for having the vision and the faith in this community, to go forward with this project.
As this continues, we here at the Devils Lake Journal, hope to bring you updates along the way, because we are just as excited about this as any of you might be! So stay tuned, there will be more news to come about this project.
Note: Melissa Streyle’s name was inadvertently left out of the story that ran on May 9 in the Devils Lake Journal. We apologize for our mistake as we strive to be a better newspaper. – Louise Oleson, editor
