Around Iredell

March 02, 2008

A visit to K-town

By O.C. Stonestreet

My wife and I recently drove over to have supper and take in a movie in downtown Kannapolis, or “K-Town,” as we referred to it in high school.

Kannapolis, you will recall, was once the largest unincorporated town in North Carolina and home to Cannon Mills, producers of towels, bath mats and washcloths.

As there is no direct route to Kannapolis from Statesville, we drove to Mooresville and turned left onto Iredell Avenue off Statesville Avenue and headed southeast. Iredell Avenue is now N.C. Highway 3 (formerly N.C. Highway 136) and goes straight to Kannapolis. Shortly after you leave the Mooresville city limits, you will pass the ultra modern glass, chrome and stone edifices of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., on your left, referred to by some as the “Garage Mahal.”

Keep on keepin’ on, as they say, and soon you will reach Kannapolis. N.C. Highway 3, to Kannapolians, is the Mooresville Road. It will T-bone into Dale Earnhardt Boulevard. Take a right. This will take you to an intersection with South Main Street.

For supper, Judy and I opted to take a right and went to What-A-Burger No. 10 at 5926 S. Main St., part of a small chain that includes a restaurant on South Main Street in Mooresville. And like their Mooresville counterpart, the drive-in restaurant features curb service and has a nice selection of historic photos on its walls.

Judy got a small Cheerwine, a What-A-Burger and a small french fry. I got a What-A-Burger, a small fried onion rings and a small chocolate shake.

I must comment here that the milkshake actually has milk — hence the name — in it so you can drink it, a departure from the trend of serving a cup of soft-serve ice cream and calling it a milkshake. For the beverage-adventurous, there is the fabled concoction, the “Witch Doctor” to drink.

The Kannapolis What-A-Burger No. 10 opened in 1964. For those unfamiliar with this local variation of the iconic American hamburger, the ¼ pound burger comes with mustard, shredded lettuce, a thin slice of Bermuda onion, a tomato and a pickle. When the place opened, the sandwich cost 25 cents, but then minimum wage was $1.29 an hour and gasoline cost around 30 cents a gallon for regular.

Supper was a very reasonable $11.80 for the two of us.

Now, to get to the Gem Theatre, go to the left instead of to the right on South Main Street. Go a mile or so, and look for the big, brick First Baptist Church with the tall steeple on the left. The Gem is across the street to the left as you face the church at 111 W. First St.

Pardon my deliberate pun when I say that the Gem Theatre is a jewel. It opened for business on Dec. 31, 1936, under the management of Cannon Memorial YMCA.

At that time, it had a seating capacity of 1,200; it seats about 900 now.

A fire destroyed the back portion of the place in early 1942, but it was soon rebuilt and reopened. The theatre was rebuilt again and had a second grand opening on March 15, 1948, at which time admission was 12 cents for kids and 40 cents for adults.

The theatre is built in Art Deco style, a popular form of American architecture. Also known as “Moderne” or “Modernistic,” the style began in the mid-1920s and continued into the 1940s. It consciously sought a break with architectural styles of the past, with a nod toward the future.

The Art Deco style was not limited to architecture, but was also expressed in jewelry, ceramics, sculpture and in
the design of automobiles, such as the 1935 Chrysler “Airflow” sedan.

Miraculously, much of the original Art Deco architectural details have survived: the neon sign above the marquee, the decorative chevrons incorporated into the building’s facade, the sconces and the decorative coverings over the theatre speakers. To go into the Gem is to get a taste of what the grand “movie palaces” of yesteryear were like.

The price of admission has gone up since 1948, but is still very reasonable. For movies starting before 6 p.m., admission is $2 a person (any age), and after 6 p.m., it’s adults $4; kids 2 to 12, $2; seniors 55 and older, $2. The box office opens 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of the movie and accepts cash only.

Concessions are equally reasonable. Popcorn is $1.25 or $2 for the big bucket, drinks are $1.25, $1.50 and $2 and all candy is 75 cents.

For more information, call the Gem Theatre at (704) 932-5126. It has some special deals for groups of 100.

The telephone number for What-A-Burger No. 10 is (704) 932-8851.

Its hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. They are closed on Sunday.

So the big night out for the Stonestreets was $11.80 for supper and $8 for movie admission (we went to the 7 p.m. show) and $3.75 for two small popcorns and a small drink, which we shared. Total for the night for two, a modest $23.55, if my math is right.

The Gem has been “The Showplace of Kannapolis “ for 72 years now.

It’s worth the drive over just to see the architecture.

And as long as you’re there, get a Witch Doctor at the What-A-Burger No. 10.