r By Daryl Tucker
Springville’s Rivoli Theater restoration project received a big boost from a group of volunteers on a recent Saturday morning.
Melissa Cannon invited students from BYU under the direction of Benjamin Thevenin and Springville High School students lead by Christian Cragun to participate in some demolition of ceilings and walls that needed to be replaced and a general cleaning of the old theater that has been vacant for nearly a decade.
The young volunteers and their mentors threw themselves into the work and in a short time had completely filled a large construction dumpster with debris. Cannon was thoroughly impressed by the energy and hard work demonstrated by the workers and wants them all to know how much they are appreciated. Those who participated seemed to enjoy being involved in something that will eventually be a great community and cultural asset.
Ms. Cannon has taken on the restoration in the hope that the old theater can be restored to a condition that will allow for it to, once again, be an anchor of Springville’s historic Main Street. It will become a space that can be used for film screenings and live performances, but will also be convertible into a creative “sound stage” where film production can take place. A great deal of interest has already been expressed by film production companies who are looking for just this kind of facility.
There has been a large outpouring of support for the Rivoli Theater restoration from the local citizenry, as well as, the city administration. There will be many future opportunities for volunteers to step in and be a part of the project and those who took part in this effort have demonstrated just how valuable this kind of service can be.
