Small Town Wonders

N3 reporter Chris Lehman and I took off to Silverton, Oregon first thing this morning to do an interview for a radio spot about small-town movie theaters.There we met Stu Rasmussen. He's the owner of The Palace Theater, and has often been found during the day selling popcorn in the lobby.

He's also the mayor.

Oh, and he's also the only transgendered mayor in the country.

A local landmark since its opening in 1935, The Palace Theater,  its one giant screen and stadium seating, is an absolute treasure. Standing under the marquee, Stu recounted the history of the theater and his own personal experience growing up in it when his father was the owner. Since he was knee-high he's worked upstairs threading the projector.

Unfortunately, in April of this year The Palace suffered a devastating fire which compromised its brand new digital projector and required that the entire building be stripped bare bone. But that's not going to stop Stu....

 He took us on a tour of what remains of the interior. Even the ceiling had been removed, and we had to work our way through the maze of scaffolding that's currently supporting the building. However, despite its state, Stu still found beauty in the layout of the structure, and his giant screen. Renovations are underway, and he couldn't be more passionate about coming back better than ever.

The small town of Silverton amazed me. Between the all-volunteer fire department and tremendous support from the community, Stu could hardly stand to recount the weeks following the fire without getting choked up. Absolutely everyone wanted to know what they could do to help. I can't imagine a better mayor than one who loves his town as much as Stu Rasmussen.