Dome Theater prepares for a Friday reopening
The Dome Theater has been hard at work in search for a new digital projector, and so far raised a generous $15,000 toward their goal. In the meantime, new owner Jaime Arnold has plans to reopen the Dome for Libby’s enjoyment on Friday.
The Dome Theater opens this Friday for a showing of Fast & Furious 6, one of the first blockbusters to hit the big screen this summer. Showing times will go on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as Arnold continues to ascend the fundraising meter posted outside the Dome Theater’s front doors.
Showing times will be 7 p.m. Friday, with a 5 p.m. matinee showing on Saturdays and Sundays. Monday screenings will be at 6 p.m. Ticket prices will be $6 for adults and $5 per kids and seniors.
Several sponsorship donations have been made in categories. While the majority of business sponsorships have hit the $100 mark, there have been a handful of $500 donations that designate space for advertising in the theater, as well as seats and movie tickets for donors.
Arnold said that while new films like The Internship and Monsters University will be coming to Libby’s big screen, she hopes to put on themed showings in the near future.
“I would love to do an older couple’s night with John Wayne films or something,” Arnold said. “Maybe some artsy stuff once in a while.”
Arnold mentioned several groups interested in showing a variety of skiing and snowmobiling films, something she hopes the Libby community can enjoy outside of commercial-studio films. An award-winning singer/songwriter from Montana, Rob Quist, has booked the Dome to perform during Nordicfest this September.
Arnold has been hard at work in the restoration of the Dome Theater since its closing last January. Renovations have been made inside and out, covering paint jobs to roofing repairs. Cleaning the old carpets, seats and curtains kept the historic flavor of the Dome Theater intertwined into the historic town itself.
“There’s a lot of updates and changes,” Arnold said. “It’s an old rustic theater that’s kind of nostalgic. It’s pretty cool.”
The Arnolds thank the community for its ongoing support in reaching their goals. The remaining amount needed to fund a new digital projector is $18,816 after $15,000 currently raised. Arnold has reached out to studios to prepare a further summer lineup, but said that studios are often difficult to work with, communicating on short notice and requiring a deposit up front for films.
The Dome Theater reopens its doors at 7 p.m. Friday, just in time for the Logger Days festivities.