By Mark Woolsey

Marietta’s Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre has had a rough go of it at times, in a 90-year history of highs and lows.

That history ranged from several decades as an art deco movie palace, to the building being sold and sold again and functioning at various times as a church, a Christian music venue, a bar and a live music showcase.  There were also vacant times.

At one time, plans were afoot to tear down the place and replace it with an office building.

The early 21st century saw city leaders exploring ways to save the abandoned and deteriorating structure.  A “Save the Strand” campaign was launched, seeking $5 million. A nonprofit was formed. Extensive and painstaking restoration followed, and the grande dame of the Marietta square reopened in 2009.

 Since then, it’s played host to a varied mix of plays, concerts, movies, comedy performances, and more.

“I think it started with (former) Mayor Bill Dunaway saying this is a community resource and it can again be a community cornerstone,” says Executive Director Andy Gaines, who recalls first going there in third grade as a result of winning a “student of the year” award.

Later, he visited when the Strand was a live music venue, taking the stage for the first time. And later still after the non-profit came along, the tireless fundraising and backing of the Smiths and others played out and the renovations happened, he brought his family to Christmastime events.

Gaines says his experiences exemplify how the Strand has woven itself deeply into the collective fabric of Cobb County-and that’s why a week of commemorating the 90^th birthday of the iconic arts outpost, which begins today, is more than noting a passage of time and the preservation of brick and mortar.

“It’s not only a celebration of the building,” he says, “It’s a celebration of community and the love and the heart and all of the ripple effects that have taken place with people in their lives and experiences. That’s what we’re here to celebrate.”

Strand observers says those memories and experiences range from the era when some called the it ‘the babysitter’ where parents dropped their kids off for a double-feature and cartoons then fast forwarding to a rousing concert featuring hometown favorites The Atlanta Rhythm Section just earlier this year.

A mix of live performances, stage presentations and films will mark the week, echoing the Strand’s rebirth as a multi-purpose 21^st century palace of the arts.

The birthday week will include the 13^th annual Community Callathon from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. today with music and live entertainment for the public while volunteers work the phones for the theatre’s  “90 for 90 Campaign” seeking to raise $90,000  for operations, programming, maintenance and debt service.

Other highlights include a Sept. 24 screening of the movie “Top Hat,” the debut movie of the Strand presented Sept 24, 1935, “College,” a silent film starring Buster Keaton, the return of “Cobb Idol “ with a duets showcase and a “Frozen” movie singalong.

A more detailed rendering of the week’s offerings is available at https://earlsmithstrand.org.

Gaines say the week’s events serve as a milestone, paying tribute to not only the Strand’s  heavyweight contribution to Marietta’s vibrant art scene, but its economic impact as well.

“You have two other performance venues on the square,” he notes, “and you have a myriad of non-profit government-owned arts organizations within easy walking distance,” he says. The combination burnishes the city’s claim of being an artistic magnet.

And in a pure economic sense, Gaines says the Strand played a vital role in redevelopment and helped point the way to what the square could become.

“The joke used to be that the square was Shillings, Hemingway’s (bar and grill) and Eddie’ s Trick Shop and there was nothing else,” he said.

In contrast, he notes that restaurant managers now contact him early in the week to inquire about ticket sales at the Strand for the upcoming weekend, enabling them to plan their staffing accordingly.

He says that one non-profit arts group estimated the Strand as having a more than $4.5 million impact on the local economy.

With a focus on the future, Gaines says they are in the midst of a five-year strategic plan “telling them what they need to be working on and when they need to finish,” He says. In that endeavor, they’ve gotten guidance from a full building assessment.

That resulted in some needed preventative maintenance this spring, such as tuckpointing, where gaps were filled in in the building’s exterior marble.

Gaines says the five-year plan also helped them lay out preparations for the 90^th birthday celebration.

Gaines says he’s grateful for the backing of a number of groups, including city officials and their patrons for helping the Strand stay in the mix.

“Marietta is an arts destination,” he says, “and that is my goal, to have people choose Marietta, and after they choose Marietta, let us be one of the choices.”