Minnesota Prairie Roots

IN THE FAR REACHES of west central Minnesota, two counties in from the South Dakota border, the small farming community of Benson perches on the prairie. It’s a place many might consider the middle of nowhere. But Benson is home to some 3,400 residents, the county seat of Swift County and a town I recently passed through on my way to visit family in neighboring Morris.

For me, Benson would not be just another dot along the map to my destination. I wanted to stop briefly and photograph the DeMarce Theatre, which my cousin Tim and his wife, Susie, own. Or so I thought. After photographing the theatre exterior, I learned from the proprietor of Rustic Class, a Benson consignment shop, that the Kletschers no longer own the business. That news never traveled to me on the family grapevine.

I was disappointed, of course, to hear this. Tim and Susie bought the 1925 theatre in 2011, invested thousands of dollars to upgrade to digital projection and a silver screen, operating the business until May 2020. By that time, Tim, a Benson Elementary School teacher, was tapping into his retirement account to keep the business afloat. That’s all history. But I’m grateful to my cousin and his family for the near-decade they kept the theater operational.

And I’m grateful to the new owners, Randy and Pam Marran of St. Michael for purchasing the theatre, revamping and reopening it in June 2022. I understand small Minnesota prairie towns like Benson and how even one business closure matters to the people who live there. Like anywhere, people want to see their town thriving, not dying. They want local entertainment options. Distances are far on the prairie.

That the Marrans, like my cousin, recognized the value of a theatre in Benson speaks to their understanding of this rural region. Pam grew up here with family still in the area. Their daughter Tyler manages the theatre. Like the Kletschers before them, the couple has poured plenty of time and money into the theatre with interior remodeling, installation of used leather seats, and a new facade and marquee. They’ve made an investment in Benson.

As I consider this, I can’t help but think that my city of nearly 25,000 does not have a movie theatre. While I’m not privy to details concerning its closure many years ago, I do know that locals were driving out of Faribault to a south metro theatre to see shows. Today that continues with three theatres within 20 minutes of my community.

I expect on cold winter evenings like we’re experiencing now in Minnesota, the good folks of Benson are thankful to have a movie theatre in town—a place to escape into a film, to connect with friends and family, to down a soda or an alcoholic beverage, to purchase pizza, a pretzel or mini donuts, to dip fingers into a big bucket of buttery movie popcorn.

Likewise, movie theatres remain open in towns near Benson. There’s the Grand Theatre in Madison, the Millennium Theatre in Montevideo and the Morris Theatre in the college town of Morris. None of these prairie places are particularly large population-wise with 1,500-5,200 residents. But still they have theatres, a spot for locals to watch a movie about Minnesota native Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” or “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” Admittedly, I am not a movie-goer, having last stepped inside a movie theatre in May 2019, then requesting a refund not long into the film due to its violent content. (In fairness to me, I went with the guys in my family and knew nothing about the movie.)

That the residents of Benson, Madison, Montevideo and Morris have movie theatres in their towns is remarkable really. In Benson, my cousin Tim and his wife, Susie, and now the Marran family, recognized the value of investing in their community, in this place perched on the Minnesota prairie just 40 miles from the South Dakota border.

© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling