HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN
Brattleboro Reformer
BRATTLEBORO -- If you were making a big budget Hollywood blockbuster maybe you could call it "Revenge of the Marquee Eating Monsters," or maybe "The 10-Wheeler that Ate Brattleboro-Part II."
Neither title is likely to be displayed on the Latchis Theater marquee, but on Tuesday the theater experienced an unfortunate sense of deja vu when a truck grazed the newly installed marquee on the Main Street landmark building and damaged it.
At exactly 3:21 p.m., according to the Latchis Hotel and Theater surveillance camera, a truck from Blue Mountain Produce hit the side of the new marquee and damaged some of the lights and decorative pieces.
The marquee was installed in August after a truck completely destroyed the former marquee while the driver was trying to skirt the traffic that was backed up along Main Street.
Latchis Arts Executive Director Gail Nunziata said it appears from the video that the truck was not on the sidewalk when it hit the marquee though she had not closely watched it.
She also had not yet spoken with the insurance company to find out what it will cost to fix the art deco marquee, which was installed by Wagner Electric Sign Co., an Ohio company.
It took the theater more than a year to replace the marquee. In a previous interview Nunziata said local permitting, historic guidelines and a competitive bidding process held the project up.
"I called the truck company and they were very sad," Nunziata said.
"I was very sad too. We’re all very sad."
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