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It was the week of Halloween, and the Constantine Theater was showing The Wizard of Oz on the big screen! As I loaded up on popcorn and Milk Duds from the backroom, old-timey concession stand, I had the thought that when this "There's No Place Like Home" classic first came out in August of 1939, the Constantine probably looked just like it looked tonight. Same stage, same lights, same tile... As I strolled down the aisle and situated myself on a squeaky theater seat, thoughts of my mother telling me stories about her and her sister running home from the movie theater back in the day - scared the witch and her monkeys were after them - made me smile. Even the cost to see the movie fit the days of old. I believe I only paid $3 - and this was only about three years ago. Believe it or not, tickets to the very first live performance in the Constantine back in December of 1914 ranged in price from $2 - $4, while a silent movie ticket was about a quarter. What was expensive seven years post-statehood, is now a heck of a deal! In fact, every year during the Christmas season, the Constantine shows a Christmas classic movie - for free! Santa Claus is usually in the lobby visiting with kids and parents alike, and then you'll see the lights dim, smell the popcorn, and hear the music start as families make their way to their seats for the show. This is Pawhuska at its best. I'm tempted every time I'm in there to climb up on stage, take the mic and belt out a little Willie Nelson, "Hello Walls - (hello, hello)" and see if they answer me back. Partly because it's been said thru the years that the Constantine is haunted and partly because - can you just imagine the tales they could tell if they would?!?! Why the flood of 1915 tried to take it out, but the Constantine survived. Imagine the backstage chatter of the vaudeville acts and touring stage companies from the early 1900s. How about the conversations between oil tycoon legends like Phillips and Marland as oil leases were auctioned off to the tune of a million dollars? I can almost hear the gasps from the crowd as well as the cheers. Add to the list - operas, church services, and even boxing matches. Oh, if walls could talk...Before the Constantine was a theater, it was first an Osage hotel in the late 1800s. Sometime between 1906 and 1911, it is said that a man by the name of Dan Parker was shot just outside the hotel doors. Murder was no stranger in Osage County in the early 1900s. While yes, this was still - or had recently been known as Indian Territory - it carried the spirit of the wild west and etched some painful marks on the sands of time. What would they reveal, if walls could talk???As oil was creating barons, Charles Constantine purchased the hotel in 1911, added on to it, and turned it into the "Finest Opera House in the Southwest" according to the Sequoyah National Research Center. Then in 1926, Mr. Constantine sold the theater to a Mr. Abbott. It changed hands several times through the following years while still remaining a theater but finally closed in the 1970s, left to sit alone in silence for over a decade. Nothing but the past echoed off the walls in this historic relic. During this period, the City of Pawhuska acquired the building.Finally, in the late 1980s, a group of visionaries came together to make a difference in Pawhuska and set their sites on the old Constantine Theater. Funds were raised and restoration endeavors took place that once again had the doors open to the public. Mr. Garrett Hartness was the theater director when I first arrived in Osage County, and it was obvious he poured his heart into preserving the history and heart of the theater. Annual ballet performances, theatrical productions, live music, and more began taking place - bringing life back to 110 West Main Street. Just last year during the downtown filming of "Killers of the Flower Moon," (a yet-to-be-released Martin Scorsese movie starring Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio about the 1920s in Osage County), the Constantine Theater hosted cast and crew. It was like the clock had been turned back to the days of the oil boom as actors in their costumes were coming in and out of the theater all during the day and night. Locals and tourists alike lined the streets just hoping to get a glimpse of the star-studded cast. The movie theater became the host to the movie stars, in person. If walls could talk...The good news is, that life continues at the Constantine Theater, thanks to one group of visionaries handing off the baton to the next generation - who is running strong and continuing the race. Focus has recently turned towards making The Constantine more of an event center available for private bookings and community events. The orchestra pit has recently had decking put in place to cover it without permanently altering the historic integrity, to allow for dancing at music events. Board treasurer, Steve Overacker, listed several upcoming events already on the books for the second half of 2022, including a New Year's Eve blowout party. When asked about the future goals of the current board, Overacker stated, "Success would be when people say we are going to go to a show at the Constantine and while we're there, we'll go over to The Mercantile... and to make the Constantine the Cain's of Osage County," placing the theater as a major draw for tourism due to the quality of entertainment that would consistently remain family-friendly. Here we are, one hundred eleven years later, and Mr. Constantine's vision continues to thrive in downtown Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma where music, laughter, and tall tales continue to echo off the walls of the historic Constantine Theater. One thing is for certain, this relic turned relevant hasn't seen its last curtain call yet, and if the walls could indeed talk, I think you'd hear them whisper, "The Show Must Go On" - and it is...