Vanoli's Gold Belt Theater

Miners worked hard. They also played hard! Vanoli's Gold Belt Theater was one of the best places to play, so some thought. It had its own band which would parade up Main Street every day bringing back a trail of miners to the Theater, just like in the story of the pied piper. The first floor Theater offered first-rate musicals booked through national agencies. Of course, drinks and games of chance were popular. Cribs, which could be reached discretely from outside stairs, offered other entertainment upstairs. Such "bawdy houses" were strictly illegal. The newspapers and city council made a great deal of noise about closing them down, but as long as they paid large sums in business taxes, nothing was done.
Enclosed behind glass in a display case are a number of artifacts salvaged from the Gold Belt Theatre before it was torn down in the 1980's. In the upper left section of the display is a band uniform jacket worn by a member of the theatre's professional band. In the right lower corner, you will see a mold used for making face masks. These masks were worn during some theatrical performances at the "Gold Belt" during its "heyday".