Downtown Bellefonataine is set to be much brighter after The Holland Theater lit up its new marquee for the first time Saturday evening.
The marquee is a redesign of the original 1931 theatre. A marquee of any sort had not been present outside the Holland since the 1950s, when the original was taken down.
Funding for the project came from generous contributors and local businesses, as well as a matching donation from the Jeffris Family Foundation.
Eventgoers were treated to free entertainment, food trucks, and DORA drinks outside the theatre.
Kris Swisher, the Holland Theatre board president, spoke on the turnout of the event as well as seeing the community rally around the theatre.
The new marquee comes on the heels of a multi-million dollar restoration project completed in 2019. Local companies, businesses, and many more dedicated members of the community came together to fund the cause.
The theatre also announced Lance Schmidt as the theatre’s new Executive Director.
Schmidt is a graduate of Bellefontaine High School and has fond memories of the theatre, including watching Batman. He graduated from the New York Film Academy in 2005, bringing skills on both the creative and executive sides.
Schmidt has worked with the Holland before. In 2010, he created and organized the Dutch Tilt Film Festival. Over three years, the event helped to raise money for the theatre and showed more than 50 films from six different countries.
Jason Vogel, a board member of the Holland Theatre, mentioned new equipment the theatre has purchased to help enhance the quality of the work at the theatre. They include new projectors for movies and projecting displays for plays, a new scissor lift to better access the lighting grid.
“There’s always things happening at the theatre, not only on the stage but behind the scenes,” Vogel said. “There’s always improvements to be made.”
The community showed up in vast numbers for the theatre during this event, and Vogel recognizes the hard work the community puts in.
“The community steps up and is there for us, even when we are not asking for it,” Vogel said. “We want to repay the community by being relevant, caring, and offering program that suits most everyone.”
The theatre has many events coming just around the corner, with Friday seeing some local young bands, including Bellefontaine’s own instrumental post-rock group Riot Baby.
Tickets and a full list of upcoming events are available at theholland.org/tickets or through the box office, OR call (937) 592-9002.
