They were there on opening day, April 9, 1941. Let that sink in for a minute.
They comforted Snoqualmie Valley community members and provided escape as the country fought battles, won wars, mourned presidents, and celebrated exploration in space.
These original 1941 movie seats were community portals to Casablanca, Oz, Hogwarts, Narnia, and a galaxy far, far away. Along the way they’ve been reupholstered, but never replaced.
The seats of the North Bend Theatre have carried the community through a lot, and as they reach their 80th year, owner Beth Burrows says they have earned a well-deserved retirement.
So…in mid February the North Bend Theatre launched a $200,000 capital campaign to retire the 80-year-old seats and replace them with more comfortable, roomier seating to carry movie-goers through the next 80 years of epic battles, love stories… and your story.
Beth is dedicated to the theatre and making it a community connection place. When asked why she wanted to own the North Bend Theatre, she said:
“Simply put, I love this historic building. I love our mission to provide local independent entertainment; a place for everyone to share the experience of a movie, a band, or a comedian. My kids grew up watching movies here. It’s a labor of love to care for this building, this staff, and this community.“
Beth said plans are for the new seats to be wider, better cushioned, more comfortable with uniform spacing between rows while keeping the original 1941 charm.
Donation options include opportunities to have your name or business displayed on the new seat armrests – and possibly even buy one of the original 1941 seats. Each donation level, starting at $25, also comes with ‘goodies’ – from 2 movie tickets to a Super Bowl viewing party to a lifetime on-screen ad.
With the new seats, the theater will also need to move and update the electrical system for path lights, refinish the auditorium floor, replace the carpet, replace the trim, and refresh the paint.
Beth said any and every level of support is appreciated for this ambitious community endeavor.
To donate or learn more about the ‘Love Your Seat’ North Bend fundraising effort visit www.northbendtheatre.com/love-your-seat
Comments
How is this appropriate right now? We’re in a global pandemic and in many places in the country people can’t even leave their homes. This is simply not the time to ask for money for seats.
They’ve been asking for at least three weeks now. And it’s likely to be a long campaign. Worth getting it out there for those who are fortunate enough to not be impacted financially by today’s events, and who want to support a local business like this.
If the funds are available to donate seating for a historic building, why wouldn’t the patron give to a charity instead. Not impacted by today’s events. Hahahahah. If you breathe, you are impacted. I have so many words for this I can’t describe the annoyance. There are people living in the streets. Many more will become homeless as this thing ravages the country.
Isn’t there a program for small businesses to get loans, oh ya, the small business administration.