LB2007.1.114784

LB2007.1.114784

Colonial Theatre, Central Maine Power Co., Whitcomb's Cafe "Colonial Theater, High Street, 1923, F.A. Patterson of Bangor, architect, with Phoenix and City Blocks at the right." --Earle Shettleworth, 2011 [included in the exhibit "Waldo County Through Eastern's Eye"] The sign over the entrance to the Colonial Theater advertising the movie "Scandal For Sale" starring Charles Bickford, Rose Hobart and Pat O'Brien dates the photograph as 1932 (the release date of the film) COLONIAL THEATER The Colonial opened on the same day that R.M.S. Titanic departed Southampton on its fateful maiden voyage, April 10, 1912. The theaater was designed for movies and had no windows other than those on the windowed front. The auditorium would seat 880. Also featured at that time were two storefronts as well. No movie was shown on opening night but rather a performance by the Belfast Band debuting "The Colonial Waltzes" composed for the occsion by Belfast's R. P. Chase as well as numerous other local acts. Booker T. Washington spoke on his life and work at the Colonial in 1914 and Hoagy Carmichael preside over an evening of song in 1950. In 1922 Dreamland Theater opened nearby. Then, in 1923, a fire, which had begun in the adjacent Eaton Block swept the through the Colonial. There was no loss of life as the fire had spread to the Colonial after it had emptied. A year later The Colonial and Dreamland Theaters merged and reopened at the original Colonial site (as shown). The theater was purchased by the Graphic Theater Circuit of Boston in 1929 and was completely renovated in 1947. Over time live performances dwindled and movies became the dominant entertainment offering. CENTRAL MAINE POWER COMPANY CMP traces its origins to November 7, 1899. On that date the founding partners, attorney Harvey Eaton and engineer Walter Wyman, bought a hydroelectric generator providing street lighting and service to about 100 customers in the village of Oakland, Maine. They soon began a long program of developing new hydro sites, expanding their service area through interconnection and acquisitions, and lowering prices as unit costs fell. They began using the name Central Maine Power in 1910. In 1999, CMP delivered more than 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to over 540,000 Maine homes, businesses, schools, churches, and other users. As of December 31, 2008, CMP's delivery system comprised 2,536 miles of overhead transmission lines, 23,249 pole-miles of distribution line, 1,290 miles of underground or submarine cable, and 282 substations for routing energy and regulating voltage. Peak power demand on the CMP system in 2008 was 1,580 megawatts. The utility employs approximately 1,200 people. Central Maine Power Company (CMP) currently delivers over 9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity yearly to more than 600,000 retail electric customers in central and southern Maine. CMP's 11,000-square-mile service area is larger than the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island combined. It contains about 78 percent of Maine's population and major commercial and manufacturing centers. To the right of CMP is a beauty shop and then Whitcomb's Cafe operated by the Whitcomb family until they sold it to Ella Tozier who operated it until its closure. Eddie Kobs operated a variety store for a time there and it was later the home of Coastal Music. To the right of Whitcomb's was Darby's Ice Cream Parlor. Currently, Jerry & Gale Savitz operate Darby's as a bar and restaurant, having acquired the original Whitcomb's on its left (now the main entrance to Darby's) and the storefront to its right.