Mountaineer Dinner Theater

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For a time in the 1970s and early 1980s the Mountaineer Dinner
Theater offered a bit of Broadway in Putnam County.

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For a time in the 1970s and early 1980s the Mountaineer Dinner
Theater offered a bit of Broadway in Putnam County.

Perched on a wooded knoll just a mile south of the Winfield exit off Interstate 64,
 the theater was opened by long-time Huntington businessman Walter H. Lewis
Jr., assisted by Mary Michele as business manager and dinner hostess.

Both Lewis and Michele had long been interested in theater
and were veterans of Huntington's Community Players.

While seeking a new business opportunity, Lewis visited a dinner theater
 in Nashville, Tennessee, and came away impressed with what he saw.
He went on to visit other dinner theaters around the country
 and decided he wanted to try his hand at operating one.

Lewis figured that neither Huntington nor Charleston was large enough to
 support such a venture, but a location between the two cites might
attract theater fans from both. When his 300-seat theater -
designed to look like an old-fashioned barn - opened,
 it even attracted faithful fans from Ashland.

Touring companies of professional actors presented light comedies
 and musicals six nights a week, Tuesdays through Sundays.

Living quarters for the touring professionals were provided in the theater
building. Sometimes talented local actors filled in a few roles. A
number of local people worked behind the scenes to stage
the productions. Dinner food was prepared in an
 on-site kitchen and served buffet style.

Faced with continuing financial losses, Lewis reluctantly
closed the theater in the mid-1980s.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Sep. 17, 2019.

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