The drawn-out downfall of Summerfield Cinemas, one of Sonoma County’s last indie movie theaters, ended with a soft, sad landing last Sunday at a nostalgic goodbye party and final day of screenings at the historic venue across from Howarth Park. Summerfield is rumored to have opened as far back as the late ’60s or early ’70s, and has served as a refuge for countless local art kids and cinephiles over the decades. Press Democrat reporter Alana Minkler attended the theater’s last day on March 9. Here’s an excerpt from her dispatch, including an iconic Summerfield love story:
The buttery scent of popcorn lingered as three former Summerfield Cinemas employees stepped into the dimly lit lobby Sunday, their eyes scanning the familiar space one last time. On the theater’s final day of screenings, they gathered to relive memories and say goodbye to the beloved Santa Rosa movie house.
Among them was Jeff Weislow, who credits the theater with shaping his life — both professionally and personally.
In 1974, Weislow arrived in Sonoma County to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. At 19, he had moved 500 miles from home, looking for a part-time job. Summerfield Cinemas was hiring.
“My hair was long, but my clothes were clean, and I had experience,” he said. “Call it timing or fate, but in an instant, my life would forever change.”
Hired as an usher, Weislow spent two years guiding moviegoers to their seats with a flashlight. But his biggest takeaway from the job wasn’t just fond memories — it was love.
Becky Weislow had been working at the concessions counter for six months when Jeff joined the staff. The two became fast friends, their connection deepening into something more. They kept their relationship quiet, concealing it from their manager, Butch Bondi.
Butch Bondi, who was also at Sunday’s party, had a parting message for the public: “Tell people to go to the movies.”
The initial blow for Summerfield fans came last spring, when news broke of the Planet Fitness gym chain potentially taking over the old theater space. By summer, neighbors and other theater supporters were protesting on the sidewalk outside Summerfield — standing up for arthouse cinema in the crazy heat. In the end, the grassroots movement didn’t stop the sale. But by winter, the deal fell through anyway, giving the community a glimmer of hope. Within months, though, theater owner Dan Tocchini announced he had to shut down Summerfield for his own reasons. This, despite ongoing community rallies to save the theater. “It’s a theater that we all love and cherish, but time ran out for the business,” the owner told the PD. More from the story:
The longtime operator confirmed the closure in an email [on Feb. 25] and said the business had struggled to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, with fewer art-house films being released in theaters.
The closure represents another blow for local cinema buffs who have held tight to Summerfield and Sebastopol-based Rialto Cinemas amid nationwide contraction in the business.
Local operators estimate more than 30 movie screens across Sonoma County have been lost with the closure of Rohnert Park’s Reading Cinemas in November 2023 and other smaller movie houses in the pandemic.
Theater owners posted a final goodbye message to Facebook last Monday, the day after their party: “Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday to celebrate Summerfield Cinemas final day. Thanks to all the patrons for supporting the Summerfield throughout the years. Thank you and farewell!”
Update, April 6: Christian Kallen, a colleague of mine from the Healdsburg Tribune — the Bohemian’s small-town sister paper! — made the astute point to me that a very important name was missing in all the local coverage of Summerfield closing. “I have not seen a word about Ky Boyd, who created the art film formula for the location prior to Tocchini’s buying it out,” he said. “Don’t you find this strange? Boyd of course went to Sebastopol to start the Rialto, and carry on the independent film tradition.” You can read more about Ky Boyd and his local legacy in this recent story by the San Francisco Bay Times, called “Rialto Cinemas Preserves the Third Place.” Long live arthouse cinema, indeed!
Note from Simone: This piece originally appeared in the weekly email newsletter I write for the Bohemian, called Wine Country Today. Subscribe here!
