When the town had finished the job after five long years of fund raising and hard work the theatre was ready for its grand reopening and the Montana Standard was there to report. The reopening took place on Saturday, May 19, 2012.
Finally, it's ready: Fire-ravaged Rialto reopens Saturday
May 14, 2012 12:00 am • By Pat Hansen for The Montana Standard
DEER LODGE — There is an air of excited anticipation as final preparations are made for the grand re-opening of the Rialto Theatre on Saturday in Deer Lodge.
Volunteers and board members are completing final touchups and cleanup so the beautifully restored theater sparkles for the long-awaited occasion. Although the elevator is not yet operable and other tasks need to be completed, the community can once again take pride in the historic building that is “the heart of Deer Lodge.”
Grand re-opening events begin on Thursday when school children and their teachers will tour the theater and see a free animated movie titled “Despicable Me.” It will also be shown at a Sunday matinee.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, is a free open house with everyone invited to tour the theater.
Saturday evening at 6 p.m. a “once-in-a-lifetime” gala event will be held with hors d’oeuvres and desserts created by chef Becky Blakeley, served with wine and pop. A dedication program will be led by M.C. Jim Lee, followed by showing of the first movie, an action romantic comedy titled “This Means War.”
Tickets for the gala are $50 and available at Peoples Bank, Valley Foods and Quilters Corner. Proceeds will help finance the final few projects required to complete the restoration.
A devastating fire the evening of Nov. 4, 2006, nearly destroyed the historical theater built in 1921. After the initial shock and damage assessment, the community was determined to restore the beloved theatre even though the cost was a staggering $3.5 million. Most of the larger costs were related to the size and complexity of the building and meeting the current strict building codes for theaters. About $1 million was trimmed from the original estimate with design changes and by using donated labor and materials.
With dogged determination, the volunteer board of directors began the daunting task of rebuilding without going into debt.
During the past five and a half years, volunteers have raised more than $3.4 million locally and from 40 states and more than 60 Montana communities. Support has come from people of all ages — youngsters who held penny drives and bake sales, community supported raffles, gala dinners and generous donations from individuals, organizations and foundations.
The most recent hurdle was purchase of the digital projection system and special screen and winch for $83,000, a cost the board had hoped to defer until fall. When they learned that movies on film would be unavailable by summer, they had to make that investment now, which impacted money planned for construction items. The digital system is installed and integrated into the new surround sound system.
At times the project was almost overwhelming, but after thousands of hours of labor by contractors and volunteers, the theater has a new beauty and is almost identical in appearance as before. People are looking forward to once again enjoying movies, school and drama productions, concerts and more as the calendar fills.
From the Montana Standard