COLUMBIANA, Ohio (WKBN) — What began as a pandemic creation to save a local theater in Columbiana is cutting the ribbon for its grand opening on Friday night.
On Thursday, the final touches were put on the Main Street Theater ahead of the grand opening.
“During the pandemic, that’s when we realized there was a chance we were losing theater,” said Erich Offenburg, executive director of the Columbiana Cultural Collective.
The Cultural Collective tried to save it by buying the theater itself.
“The Arthurs family has done a great job for 15 years in renovations and maintenance and all that sort of thing. We just didn’t want to lose it on Main Street,” Offenburg said.
With the help of the Kufleitner family, the Columbiana Cultural Collective transformed the Main Street Theater into a home for all types of art.
“The Kufleitners kind of gave us a breath of fresh air and bought the building and they leased it to the Cultural Collective to operate it,” Offenburg said.
The ribbon will be cut Friday evening at 6 p.m. Inside there will be music, concessions and a screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Fees for the film are “pay what you can”.
“He will be available for all types of events, not just theater – films, music, dance, photography,” Offenburg said.
The goal is to keep art and an iconic place alive for everyone to enjoy and grow in.
“It’s a Columbiana staple and if you live in Columbiana or have lived in Columbiana, you have a memory here, whether it’s a movie theater or a theater or whatever,” Offenburg said.
They are working on renovating spaces within the theater to provide more opportunities. In the future, people will be able to rent these spaces to grow as artists.
