Advertising also has helped. When Milks took over as manager about six years ago, he and the board decided to expand ads beyond Wells to various newspapers in the region.

But what keeps people coming back is the ambiance. Located on the quaint main drag of Wells, with a population of about 2,500, the theater makes for an inexpensive weekend trip into the country for families.

People are greeted by Betty Olson, who has sold tickets at The Flame for more than 40 years. Before the theater started issuing paper tickets about two years ago, Olson used to count people as they entered with a hand-held counting device.

“It’s such a fun place, and it’s got a nice atmosphere,” Hartman said.

Municipal theaters are rare, Hartman said. He can’t be sure, he said, but The Flame may be one of the only city-owned theaters in the state.

The theater’s profits are used to pay for improvements, such as the new $15,000 sound system. Leftover profits are added into the city budget.

Besides tickets and concessions, the theater makes money on commercials run before each movie. More than 20 area businesses pay $200 per year to run ads on the screen, which added up to about $7,000 last year.

The theater opened in 1912 and was owned by Sidney F. Heath and C. Anderson. Admission was 5 cents.

Throughout the years the theater went through many changes, including its name before Heath settled on The State Theatre. When the building burned down in 1960, Heath asked the public to submit suggestions for a new name for the new building.

August J. Schultz and Rose Mershon won free passes for submitting the winning suggestion — The Flame Theatre.

The city took over management of the theater in 1996 and formed a theater board. The city immediately put about $65,000 in improvements into the facility, including a new projector, seats with cup holders, a bigger screen, a surround-sound system and a fresh coat of paint.