RC&D adopts Theatre as project

The Nebraska Loess Hills RC&D (Resource Conservation & Development) Council voted last week to adopt the West Point Theatre as a project for the upcoming year. The group will assist the West Point Community Theatre in obtaining funding to give the West Point City Auditorium new life as a movie theatre/performing arts theatre.

In the West Point News!

Read all about it!
Here's a link to the front page news story in the West Point News!
West Point News

Thanks West Point News!

Letters of Support

Our committee is looking for letters of support from local organizations for the West Point Theatre project. If you'd like to send one stating your support for the idea of a Movie Theatre and Performing Arts Theatre in the old West Point City Auditorium, mail it to West Point Theatre, PO Box 33, West Point, NE 68788. Or email it to me at brian@bandbvideo.com.
Thanks!

Cuming County Fair THANKS!

Just a note to thank everyone who signed the notebook at the West Point Theatre fair booth at the Cuming County Fair last week! Thanks for your encouraging comments and great ideas about where we can get additional help in building the Theatre in West Point!

West Point Theatre on the radio!

West Point's 107.9 The Bull Morning Show will be hosting Jerry Hugo and Brian Kreikemeier on Friday, August 15 from 6:25 to 7:00 a.m. Discussion will center around the West Point Theatre project and frequently asked questions will be addressed.

Also, KTIC-AM should feature the West Point Theatre project in news stories throughout the day on Friday, August 15.

Tune in for some great discussion and information!

The Beginnings of the Auditorium

As we begin to lay the foundations for the West Point Theatre project, it's worth taking a few moments to recall the early history of the Auditorium and how it came to be. This will be the first in a series of entries featuring the history and architecture of the Auditorium building.

The idea for an Auditorium in West Point was first proposed by a group of men who formed the West Point Cadet Band. The Cadet Band had a reputation for playing classical music exceptionally well. As their popularity increased, the band held a public meeting in early 1911 to ask the businesspeople of the city for financial support in building an auditorium. The money would be paid back to the investors without interest. The fundraising efforts began in June of 1911 and collected a total of $12,000. By the time the cornerstones were laid September 23, 1911, $17,805 had been contributed.

Construction progressed remarkably fast, and the Cadet Band's first concert in the new building was held on New Year's Day 1912. From the time of its inception to the first public event, the planning and construction of the Auditorium took a little less than one year.

West Point Theatre

In case you missed it, we want to put a movie theatre and performing arts theatre inside the old West Point City Auditorium! Discussion at the City Council meeting last night centered around installing theatre seating upstairs (using the 230 seats that have already been donated to our cause by the Gateway Theatre in Albion). There would be movies every weekend, except for the weekends reserved for live performances by the West Point Community Theatre, who would manage and operate the theatre year-round. We have some ideas on how to do this, but we need your ideas too! Any thoughts or suggestions?