 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2007-08-01 15:08:00
Remember
Your column always triggers such interesting memories. Do you have any memories of the old Forum?
The Forum was located on Water Street, a block south of Douglas. It covered a two-block area...and it was Downtown. In fact, if you notice even today, Main, Water and Broadway are all much wider than other streets leading to Downtown Wichita, because they were direct routes to the Forum, the place where all of the large events were held.
Much of the talk about the new Downtown Arena is about parking. There was no designated parking for the Forum. There were many pay parking lots surrounding the area, but people either found street parking or paid. Many times they walked.
There were two venues for events...the smaller Arcadia Theatre, and the giant auditorium. The giant auditorium hosted events such as circuses, major basketball games, boxing, wrestling, the big music shows, big bands like Count Basie, Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and many other big recording starts like Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Vaughn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and many others. There were also high school graduations and church revivals. I remember one time Jack Shuler had a city wide meeting where he brought in special guests like Stuart Hamlin who at that time had the song, “It Is No Secret” on top of the music charts. Jack filled the three-balcony auditorium with people standing around the perimeters that Sunday afternoon. Some of the other local preachers held meetings at the Forum, including Art Wilson, who was a great Bible expositor on prophecy.
I remember when I directed a television program on then KTVH, called “HI FI HOP”, we had our yearly dance contest at the Forum. The Arcadia Theatre was home to many of local promoter Hap Peebles country shows. After these shows, he always held a big dance down the street at the Missouri Pacific Dance Hall. It was located across the street from the train depot by the same name. The Forum also hosted all kinds of presentations, plays, quartets, choirs and dramas. Another area that was sometimes used for car shows and expositions was in the center of the building. After World War II, the National Guard and the Reserves set up their headquarters in this location.
The Forum was a great building for the era. Now, Century II and its parking sets on the same site. Hopefully the new Downtown Arena will provide just as many wonderful memories to patrons as did the old Forum.
