The Past
Businesses
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Communities
Community Services
Entertainment
~ Arena
~ Baseball
~ Bowling
~ Drill Hall
~ Fairs
~ Hockey in Enderby
~ Prohibition
~ Square Dancing
~ Tennis
~ Theatre
~ ~ Opera House
~ ~ K.P. Building
~ ~ Monarch Theatre
~ ~ The Town, Times, & Tunes
~ ~ Not The Way I Heard It
Ethnic Groups
Geography
Heritage Homes
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Transportation
The Monarch Theatre was
built in 1948 by K. Samol and his partner Abramenko. Samol ran it for several years, until
he traded it to Ernie McMahon for his
hardware store. McMahon ran it until his death, when the theatre was purchased by Mr.
Willard.
In 1962 it was bought by Vic Sibinski and his associate Campbell, who ran
it for the next two years. As a result of the advent of television in Enderby and
competitive pressure from out of town (theatres in Vernon and Salmon Arm got movies long
before the Monarch), the building was changed to a more profitable bowling alley in 1964.
The Monarch, in its heyday, was the nicest theatre in the North Okanagan (including Salmon
Arm, Vernon, and Armstrong!). Most major movies of the time passed across its screen is
33mm: such classics as Rin Tin Tin, King of the North West Mounted, and Singing in the
Rain. Though the theatre had a seating capacity of 250, audiences were rarely very large,
and consisted of many young people. Admission ranged from 50-75 cents.
Yuri Cowan
ALF School 1989