As well as showing movies, holding dance parties, and allegedly distilling and selling spirits, Poulos was a community-minded man and sponsored events for school pupils of the North Fork Valley. At one event, he estimated 1000 guests were in attendance. There is mention in the Paonian that he donated three evenings of programming to the Community Chest. He hosted Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and invited all the children from surrounding towns. A Fireman’s Ball, a free band concert and movie, a benefit for the Paonia Library, were all testaments to his civic responsibility and community spirit. In 1969, the theater and the buildings on each side were sold to Lynne and Charles Bear.
The Bears continued with the legacy of a community-oriented theater and, like Poulos, were very generous, putting on free movies and sponsoring children’s events. They were a very busy family as Lynn ran a beauty salon in the adjacent building. After the theater lost its projectionist, Lynn would close her shop for the day and go run the projector.