Herb Benzel credited for Ritz Theatre revival

Thanks, Terri on the kudos, but there is one person who I feel was very important in the restoration of the Ritz Theatre.

Thirty years ago, Herb Benzel made the decision to purchase the ailing Ritz Theatre at an estate auction. Herb, his wife Shannon, and their farm crew embarked on a three-year restoration (they worked in the winters when not in the field), and reopened in 1987 with Dan Geschke.

If Herb had not had that vision, the building could have continued to deteriorate and been lost. He followed that project with the bowling alley, another source of entertainment for Ritzville residents.

I don’t know all of the details surrounding the projects since I did not move to Adams County until 1991.

I only met Herb once, when we were negotiating his donation of the theatre to the Ritzville Downtown Development Association, but his only condition was that we keep it going for the people of Ritzville. We have taken that to heart and are working vigorously to reopen as soon as possible.

My hope was that he would be around to witness the rebirth of the theatre a second time but the cancer was too strong and I was too slow.

After hearing that he passed away last week, this man I hardly knew, I was grateful that he had the vision to save it the first time and give us the chance to reopen it now. I enjoy working on this building, with the help of many volunteers and donors, because it is an essential part of downtown. It’s renovation and reopening will hopefully lead to other successful projects in the neighborhood.

So thanks Herb, I didn’t tell you soon enough, but you will be missed.

John Rankin, RDDA President