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STORY INDEX Introduction Service still most important product at Ligonier Telephone Co. A black and white sensation: Tiny Screens a big attraction in early years of television A man works from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done Indiana Extension Homemakers better the lives of families How to be a good wife The show goes on at The Strand: Kendallville theater survives decades of changes in the movie business Some movies forgettable, but not Cleon Point: Memories of colorful, longtime Strand Theatre manager live on Small towns once supported their own movie theaters 'You'd see everyone there': Kendallville residents have lasting memories of teen hangouts old and new Links of land and lakes: County, state officials worked together to establish Chain O' Lakes State Park William Jennings Bryan among among orators at Rome City's Western Chautauqua Dr. David Rogers - Man of mystery, and benevolence DNR restoration programs working: Once abundant wildlife returning to area Rise of girls athletics have changed face of school sports Decades of intramurals: Before the '70s, girls had limited athletic opportunities Ford Frick was reared on Noble county's sandlots: Baseball executive always considered himself a 'lucky fan' Ruth was greatest player ever: Frick Frick's predictions for 2000 not far off Small Wolf Lake big winner in 1942 basketball regional Four in a row: Finally with a gym of their own, KHS cagers went to 'Sweet 16' four straight years Ink to flow into 21st century at county's newspapers Broadcast media: Manahan was pioneer in Noble County broadcasting WAWK's history dates back to 1959 Soundwaves from the past: Ligonier museum has one of the largest collections of antique radios in U.S. Health trends: Changes through the century occurred in medicine, health care Scarlet fever, polio were early health scares From sanitarium to partnership: A century of Noble County's medical care Funeral directors ran ambulance service in county prior to '74 'EMS arrives in time for '74 tornado LaGrange County doctors once made house calls by horseback Country doctor delivered babies in his home and drove a Thunderbird Service to mankind condensed to footnotes of history Lengthy Mier-Straus rivalry ended with bank merger : German-Jewish immigrants had impact on Ligonier's history Who are the people of the Amish faith? A place to live, farm, worship, and raise families: Amish began settling in LaGrange, Elkhart counties in 1840 Two controversial religious sects from the 1970's have impact on Noble County Churches with rich heritages served parishioners in LaOtto, Ege Small towns once supported their own movie theaters By DENNIS NARTKER The News-Sun ALBION - Early this century movie theaters existed in Albion, Avilla and Ligonier as well as Kendallville in Noble County. Despite their small populations compared to Kendallville, these communities supported theaters. In Albion, the Albion Theatre operated from the early 1920s to 1979 on South Orange Street. According to the Aug. 22, 1979, Albion New Era, the Sinderson family started the theater in the 1920s. It had 200 seats. The Sindersons sold it to Harry Evans, who then sold it to a man from Stroh. A Mr. Wilhelm became proprietor, then he sold it to Doug and Mae Haney who operated the theater until about 1950. Jim and Zue Ehlinger and Mrs. Leah Centlivre, Jim's mother, took it over until it closed in 1979. Before talkies, the theater played phonograph records for sound and the projectionist had to synchronize it with the picture. In 1907 Albert Inks operated Ligonier's first movie theater at 311 S. Cavin St., according to the book "Ligonier, Indiana Memories of the First 150 Years, 1835-1985," published by the Ligonier Sesquicentennial Book Committee. "A show consisted of one reel of jumpy, jerky, silent pictures with piano playing," stated the book. Admission was 5 cents. In 1924 this theater, called the Crystal Theatre, was remodeled into one of the most modern theaters around, showing news, comics and short features. The Crystal was torn down in 1970 for a parking lot. In the early part of the century, Lou Schlotterback owned and operated the Whitelite Theater at 206 S. Cavin St. Clarence Gale was his projectionist. The Whitelite closed in 1924 when the newly remodeled Crystal Theatre reopened. An open-air theater operated at 108 S. Cavin St. for only a couple of years in the century's first decade. When electric lights became popular, a building was constructed on the theater lot.