The Forest Theater, located at 7526 Madison St. (present-day McDonald’s), hosted a Scrap Drive on Aug. 30, 1951. Children exchanged 5 pounds of scrap metal to attend a free matinee. The theater showed two color cartoons and Johnny Mack Brown in Son of Roaring Dam.
Eli Zuas, manager of the Forest, organized the collection, which brought in 1,500 pounds of scrap for defense purposes. Iroquois Steel & Iron paid for the metal. Money collected was split between the local Boy and Girl Scouts. The Forest Theater opened as Forest Park Theater in the 1920s with vaudeville performances and movies. Its name was shortened to Forest Theater in the 1930s and operated until 1963, when it was deemed unsafe and ordered to be demolished.
Jill Wagner
