A fixture in the Jefferson community will be closing soon to freshen things up on the inside.

Sierra Community Theatre Manager Sarah Nicholson says the theater is closing on August 30th for hopefully two weeks to make major upgrades in the auditorium. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the featured improvement will be replacing all of the seating, which were found by a board member, who heard about a theater in Johnston that was purchased by a church and the no more than two year old seats were going to be thrown away.

“So we went down and took a look, and we asked what they wanted for them and they gave us an amazing deal. We’re so grateful because we could’ve never done this auditorium remodel, like it wouldn’t even been in the realm of possibility, if not for the incredible deal they cut us on those just because they wanted to get them gone. We were so happy to have them. All of the board members went down one day, one day and removed like over 200 seats from the theater. They worked their tails off, it was so impressive.” 

Nicholson states that there is also going to be new carpet and lighting in the auditorium, along with new carpet in the front entrance, ramps and concession stand area. Additionally, Nicholson points out that the exterior renovations are done, including replacing the marquee, poster cases, along with new lighting, painting and entry doors. She is thrilled to see the facade project completed, which has been in the works since before the covid pandemic.

“It was nice to be able to update the building for aesthetic purposes, but also it was incredibly structural. Like we didn’t want the gap for the insulation purposes, the old poster cases were practically falling off the front of the building, just because of age and weather abuse. So it was really, really nice to get back on with that project, but it did take a long time to get there. We appreciate the community’s patience with that project.” 

Nicholson requests anyone who wants to get their popular take home popcorn to do so before Saturday and they are starting their donation drive now because of the two weeks where the theater’s operations will cease while the interior is being renovated.