The Eastern Shore News from Onancock, Virginia • A1

VA. 75 cents Retail Vol.CXIX,No.59 Co. Inc. ASTERN HORE EWS Getting your paper If you would like to subscribe to the News, pay a bill or change subscription information, call us toll-free at 1-800-220-5124. Annual subscriptions cost $46 local or $71.30 out of area.

SEND US your News events and releases at Inside Classifieds5BSports3B Obituaries2AViewpoint4A Shore style1BWeather6A Sports Northampton beat Franklin, Surry in playoffs, 3B New Riverside hospital opens doors on Saturday, 2A Heritage Celebration Over70exhibitorscampus-wide! MD-0000829151 For the Rev. Alex Joyner, religion and politics mix. much of our political discourse already leaves us polarized, demonizing people on other said Joyner, the superintendent of the United Methodist Church district overseeing the Eastern Shore of Virginia. want that to distort the For that reason, he supports the federal long-standing law limiting political speech. The Eisenhower-era rule, known as the Johnson Amendment, prohibits religious organizations and charities from endorsing political candidates and making campaign contributions.

President Donald Trump announced his desire at the recent National Prayer Breakfast to the Johnson Amendment. He framed the move as a victory for the First Amendment since it would allow ministers to speak freely on political issues. Evangelical groups, a key constituency in come-from-behind presidential campaign, have long sought to have the amendment abolished. On Delmarva, the proposal to bring religious groups into the political arena is being greeted with little enthusiasm. Johnson Amendment keep me from proclaiming gospel values or speaking forcefully to the issues of our Joyner said.

may also help me from being led into But not everyone agrees. Jonathan Carpenter is a pastor at Exmore Baptist Church. He applauds proposal, saying the amendment unnecessarily forces ministers to walk a political tightrope with their speech. think many pastors are misinformed as to what they can do legally now so many choose to remain silent because he said. not one of Carpenter said he favors any measure that allows for more free speech.

Congregations are bound to be better in- Delmarva churches shun politics (mostly) Most object to preaching about it, but some would approve JEREMY COX Cape Palace Theatreis turning 75 and a birthday bash has been planned to mark the occasion. The Palace, built to be a gem of the mid-Atlantic, began as a thriving endeavor in a booming railroad town but fell into disrepair and disuse in the mid-1960s when Bayshore Concrete completed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel project and the trucking industry overtook rail freight transport. Today, amid swirling rumors of sales and foreclosures, the theater and the nonprofit housed within its walls serve as a testament to the changing times and the undeterred resilience of the artistic soul and future potential. The Palace Theatre, opened on March 18, 1942, was designed by Alfred Lublin, a Norfolk-based architect, for $75,000, and more than 30 architectural firms were involved in the construction. William Carroll Parsons, alocal entrepreneur, footed the bill for the land and the building with the intention of owning the largest, most modern theater between Norfolk and Philadelphia.

in the opening night film starring Ingrid Bergman and Robert Montgomery, played to a large crowd. When the 75th anniversary party kicks off on March 18, in will again play as an homage to that opening night. The artistic offerings stop at film, however. The Palace Theatre hosted Barney Rapp and his New Englanders in 1942 for a three-day engagement and the Miss Virginia contest in both 1952 and 1953. But times were changing and changing quickly.

The opening of the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel in 1964 dealt a blow to the theater, and by 1970, a weekend-only film schedule was implemented. The last film, was shown in 1997. STAFF PHOTO BY HILLARY T. CHESSON Arts Enter, a nonprofit arts organization, owns and operates within the Palace Theatre. The theater was built in 1942.

PALACE THEATRE TURNS 75 Birthday bash planned in March for Cape Charles landmark THE PALACE THEATRE IMAGE Cape Palace Theatre is turning 75 and a birthday bash has been planned for March 18, from to 10p.m. HILLARY CHESSON STAFF PHOTO BY HILLARY T. CHESSON Aspotlight on the second floor of the Cape Charles' Palace Theatre keeps its light trained on the stage. IF YOU GO Palace Theatre 75th anniversary Where: 305 Mason Cape Charles When: Saturday, March 18, from p.m.; doors open at 7:15 p.m. for public movie ticket purchases Cost: $20; movie tickets sold separately Info: www.artsenter.com/birthday.