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 Daniel Maxson was barely eight years old when his parents John
and Gaye bought the Arlee fourteen years ago. When he wasn’t
play-acting on the stage, he pitched in with his parents and three
older siblings in the theater’s restoration, running a sander on the
stage floor under the supervision of his older brother Dale, or
doing odd-jobs assigned by his sisters Mary and Marcia.
Even after they married and moved away, the four Maxson offspring
would always come home for special Arlee events. But when the family
gathered last fall for the Arlee’s 80th birthday celebration, Daniel
and his wife Andrea were absent. Working in North Dakota, it just
wasn’t possible to make it home. Yearning to contribute, Daniel
decided when they did return, he would make it his mission to
restore all the brass appointments to their former glory.
 According to local historian Dale Fancher, in the Arlee’s early days
retired farmer Walter Huffman polished all the brass kick plates,
door pulls and doorstops every day with Brasso, but there’s no
telling how long it has been since the tarnished hardware had such
pampering.
The youngest Maxson couple returned to Mason City Christmas Eve and
Daniel quickly set to work. Though the project is not completed,
Arlee movie-goers are once again greeted by many gleaming brass
fixtures. With a lot of elbow grease, some acid, power tools and a
lot of time, Daniel was able to make all the kick plates shine like
gold again, but after years of exposure to the elements and grime,
the exterior door pulls have presented challenges that may have to
wait until another day.
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“Like any restoration or home project, one improvement leads to another,” said
John Maxson. “There will always be something to work on. We really appreciate
our family and all the Arlee friends who have helped us get this far restoring
the Arlee.”
The shiny brass is not the only improvement at the Arlee in recent weeks. After
struggling to keep the auditorium warm during a recent cold snap, Arlee
management secured local contractor Kevin Koeppen to blow in ten inches of
insulation in the attic. Combined with new weather stripping on the doors, the
comfort level is dramatically improved. Just as that project was completed two
hours before the Friday night show, it was realized the 40-year-old heat blower
had breathed its last breath. Jim Hernan of Hernan’s Plumbing & Heating came to
the rescue and as the movie rolled, he worked in the attic, unbeknownst to
customers. Hernan replaced the relic in short order, surprising customers as he
emerged from a door by the screen. The moral: support your local businesses and
they will be there for you when you need them!
[Gaye Maxson]
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