Tom Lounges
Times Correspondent
It is the 30th anniversary of the Georgia band Jackyl's formation and 29 years since its front man and vocalist Jesse James Dupree first introduced a gas engine chainsaw as the unlikely lead instrument in a rock 'n' roll band's live performance.
The multiplex at 6550 American Way in Portage, most recently known as GQT Portage 16 IMAX + GDX, went dark at the start of the coronavirus pandemic last March, and rumors had been swirling about its demise after its owner Goodrich Quality Theaters went bankrupt. A new operator plans to revive the 3,058-seat theater with two huge IMAX screens, aiming to reopen it on July 1. Emagine Entertainment, Inc., a Michigan-based chain with theaters in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, is taking over the Portage 16 IMAX and three other former Goodrich theaters in Noblesville, Indiana; Batavia, Illinois, and Saginaw, Michigan.