Theatre renovation/Seminole 1940/Orval Irwin..page1

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Seminole Theatre

The 1940 Story

..The spring of '40, they led away *Big Shorty*..

writer/SOUTH DADE NEWS LEADER\retired..page1

I recall, early in 1937, I was working at the Redland District News, a weekly newspaper that was owned by Mr. James English. I worked as a copy boy and a number of other jobs, like melting down the printers' metal after the paper was printed. I poured the long metal *pigs* that fed metal into the lineotype printing machine and I made the *cuts* that produced the photos.

When spring came, there wasn't enough work there to keep me keep me busy. I was asked if I wanted the job of cleaning the old Seminole theatre which was also owned by Mr. English. The entire building had to be cleaned every day, so I took it on. Using a short handled broom, I had to raise every seat, sweep out from under them and move along at a rapid pace, 'till I had *all* 500 of them clean. Next I cleaned the rest of the building. I mention this because there isn't a better way to know a building than to go over it, every inch, with a broom.

This job went against my *grain*. To me it was a depressing household chore, it didn't work out.

The night of the fire, I was tied up working as a night operator at a gasing gararge at the east end of Homestead Florida. When I would hear bits of info about the fire, I could visualize about what section of the building I knew was burning. People would drop by and tell me what they knew. Other wise, all I could see was a huge red glow - a mile away. Miami fiddled while the
Seminole burned!

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Seminole Theatre

The 1940 Story

..The spring of '40, they led away Big Shorty..

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