History :
The Palace Theatre has been in Oakley for more than half a century. It's been through many owners, managers, and titles. It was first built by the George Baker Amusement Co. of Kansas City and named it "Center Theatre." Carl Coriell managed the 502 seat theatre. The Grand Opening was August 25, 1949. A free open house was held that day from 1:00-5:00 p.m. They showed 45 minute cartoons, comedies, and sports programs every two hours. The regular movie was played at 7:00 p.m. The first movie shown was "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.
In May of 1951, Mel Sparks was hired by George Baker of Kansas City to become the new manager. Mel then ran the theatre for 25 years. He managed it until 1976 when he finally sold it to Leroy Heinrich. Heinrich owned it for a year, remodeling it during that time. Johnny Daniels then purchased it in 1977 for $60,000, changing the name to the "Palace Theatre."
After being remodeled, the Palace had a new cry room with 10 seats and could accommodate 381 moviegoers.
The Palace was closed in 2001, and remained closed until 2003 when members of the community purchased it. The new Board of Directors included Bruce Campbell, Frank Munk, Eric Sperber, Jim Keenan, and Butch Burris. Jim Keenan's Entrepreneurship class at Oakley High School became the new managers, This class included Veronica Blair, Ashley Bosserman, Cole Campbell, Bobby Dennis, Brent Dibbern, Crystal Forslund, Lee Hensley, Brooke Inlow, Emily Pilkington, Sonya Robinson, Amber Shoemaker, Courtney Thompson, and Ryan Thompson.
Each year, a new group of seniors take over management. They are enrolled in the "Palace Project" class. Through this experience they learn how to keep a business running and help benefit the community.
