State Theater Company Achieves Funding Goal, Marks First Century
Wednesday afternoon as activities for the pumpkin festival were gearing up, members and supporters of the Barnesville State Theater Company celebrated achieving a $50,000 fund drive match raising $100,000 in the “100 days of summer” for renovations of the theater.
To date, organizers have raised $538,611 for work related to the century-old movie house’s eventual return as a performance venue for Barnesville and the area.
Tours of the theater highlighting recent renovations of the former lobby that includes bright walls, a new concrete floor surface and the return of the theater’s stage will welcome visitors during the festival. Hours are 5-7 p.m. Thursday, 1-3 p.m. Friday, 10-Noon Saturday, and Noon-2 p.m. Sunday.
Also, on hand Wednesday, as volunteers celebrated the theater’s 100th birthday with cupcakes, were representatives of three granting organizations that have supported the theater project – EQT Foundation, Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley and South Central Power Company Foundation.
Two other major funders of the project are the Belmont County Tourism Council and the family of Nancy Detling, an active volunteer who died earlier this year.
Modi’s State Theater opened in November 1925, a movie house seating 950 on the main level and balcony. The last movie was shown in 1969. During those years, many local live productions were also presented from the theater’s stage.
Barnesville Area News Needs Your Support!
We're dedicated to providing coverage of the local happenings in Barnesville and the neighboring communities.
As a non-profit entity, we rely on the donations of readers like you.
Make a donation today and you'll be helping keep local news alive in the Barnesville area.