A long-lost piece of Lovelock’s entertainment history is getting a second life, thanks to a collaboration between the Marzen House Museum and local volunteers including Judge Richard Wagner, who has stepped in to restore the original ticket booth from one of Lovelock’s early theaters.
The vintage wooden booth, recently rediscovered and in need of repair, has been confirmed by local historian and museum board member Bonnie Skoglie as the original box office used at the old Lovelock theater. “Absolutely — that is the ticket booth from the old theater,” Skoglie said. “We even have rolls of the old tickets to go with it.”
Along with the booth and its preserved ticket rolls, the museum also has a vintage “ticket girl” mannequin. The board is working on a period-style display that will eventually allow visitors to step back into the days when moving pictures were a Saturday-night thrill on Main Street.
Skoglie says the project is one of the most exciting pieces of local memorabilia they’ve acquired in recent years. “It’s an awesome piece of our history,” she said.
The discovery has stirred fresh conversations online about Lovelock’s early theaters, particularly among former residents who remember the popcorn, the crowds, and the sense of occasion that came with a night at the movies.
Recently resurfaced comments from community members paint a vivid picture:
• Berta Graham recalled popping eight pounds of popcorn at Crazy Corners when the theater’s machine broke, with Jaycees volunteers driving over to pick it up.
• Adrienne Marcucci remembered selling popcorn that arrived in “four-foot-tall bags already popped,” simply warmed before showtime.
• Others reminisced about how hard it is to convince younger generations that Lovelock did have a theater and even a dance floor.
Archived posts from museum volunteer Cathie Bryant help anchor the history. In 1910, the Orpheum Theatre advertised “moving pictures every evening at 8 o’clock” and Saturday-night dances. By the 1920s, the community was even drawing movie companies to the valley to film cattle and desert scenes. Later theaters operated on Main Street until the final building was torn down during the expansion of the Windmill Restaurant.
Judge Wagner will begin carefully refurbishing the booth, ensuring its original character and patina are preserved. Once complete, the museum plans to install the full display with booth, tickets, mannequin, and historical photos as part of a broader effort to preserve Lovelock’s entertainment history.
Museum volunteers say more updates will be shared as the restoration progresses. “Stay tuned,” Skoglie said. “This is going to be something special.”
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