A kernel of truth: No popcorn means no Sierra Theatre

By ANDREW MCGINN
a.mcginn@beeherald.com

It ain’t easy managing a single-screen movie theater in a small town.

They can’t always get the latest and greatest movies the day they open, and more often than not, Oscar season serves as an annual reminder of all the movies that didn’t play Jefferson.

But for years, manager Dustin Gustoff has been told that the Sierra Theatre — once a speck in the Fridley Theatres universe now operated as a community-owned nonprofit — has the best popcorn of any theater in the country.

So imagine Gustoff’s horror back in May when the night they were blessed with being able to open “Captain America: Civil War” — one of the year’s biggest movies — was also the night the popcorn popper pooped out.

“Thirty minutes before the show,” he recalled, “the motor that spins the seeds and heats up the popcorn burned out.”

“That’s happened twice now,” he added.

If you think Milk Duds can simply just fill that void, think again.

“We had people walk away because they came more for popcorn than for the movie,” Gustoff said, recalling another recent time the popper went kaput.

The theater’s third annual Classics Week in January, which began as a way to keep the cash flowing during that time of year when Hollywood historically dumps its garbage, will serve as a fundraiser for a new popper.

But with a reputation for some of the best popcorn around on the line, Gustoff recommended the Sierra board add a second popper, not replace the one so old it has served at least two generations of moviegoers.

“It could be the kettle is just perfectly seasoned,” Gustoff surmised. “That could take 30 years.”

A second popper, according to Gustoff, would take some pressure off the Sierra if the main popper — a 20-ounce “Giant Electric” manufactured by C. Cretors & Co. of Chicago — happens to go down again 30 minutes before the summer’s hottest blockbuster.

“You’ve never seen a popper until you’ve seen it completely dismantled,” Gustoff said. “It’s not pretty.”

Gustoff said the Sierra is hoping to raise $5,000 throughout Classics Week 2017 to buy and install a second popper. (Coincidentally, Gustoff wants the exact make and model of the main popper.)

This year’s offerings include “Casablanca” (1942) Jan. 27-29, “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971) Jan. 30-31 and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) Feb. 1-2. Admission is free, with donations accepted at the door.

Gustoff said the Sierra also is seeking sponsors for Classics Week.

In the movie theater business, popcorn is everything.

Butter is quite literally their lifeblood.

“The popcorn is where we make our money,” Gustoff explained. “It pretty much keeps us open.

“Everybody knows it’s fairly cheap and there’s some mark up.”

In other words, “If we don’t have popcorn,” he said, “we won’t make enough to make the movie worth showing.”

No one can say for sure how old the Sierra’s popper is, but when Gustoff this past spring removed the bad motor to have it replaced, it was stamped 1986.

“Which is the year I was born,” he quipped.

New movies that year included “Top Gun,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Pretty in Pink.”

Gustoff is only half-joking when he says he doesn’t want to be the manager who tanked the Sierra’s reputation for quality popcorn.

That’s why he refuses to upgrade completely to a new popper.

“Why mess with perfection?” he asked.