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A New Act Comes to Town

This undated flyer would have been handed out or posted before one of Flood and Hayes’ shows. Note the creative tricks they performed.

The New Rex Theatre was the brainchild of J.W. Flood. Flood was born in Mississippi in 1873. As a young man he learned that he had a knack for jumping and began travelling the country performing as "Jumping Jack." He met his wife, Maybelle Hayes, while touring. Hayes had been in a song and dance act with her sister. After their wedding, the family started performing together.

Flood was also interested in branching out. He had plans to make the entire block of the Rex Theatre into a massive hotel. He even created a company and issued stock. It is unclear how far the project got, but it was never completed. To read more about it, click on the image above.

Flood and Hayes stayed in Fallon the winter of 1910 and clearly liked it, since they returned in 1913 to purchase the Rex Theatre, which was in the Commercial Club building on Carson Street. Flood renovated the building several times, but he wanted more. He envisioned creating a “Flood Block” – an entire section of Maine Street that included stores and an elegant theater.