Save The North Bend Theatre
Donation protected
Dear Friends of the North Bend Theatre,
The North Bend Theatre recently celebrated its 70th anniversary as a center of the Snoqualmie Valley Community. The Theatre was built in 1941 as a state-of-the-art movie house with full sound and the glorious splendor of Technicolor, giving us Judy Garland's ruby-red slippers in "The Wizard of Oz!" Now, the biggest historic transition in film since the introduction of sound has arrived: digital projection. Transitioning to digital will enable the North Bend Theatre to continue showing movies "“ and operas, concerts and other special events "“ well into the next 75 years. The alternative to converting to digital is closing our doors!
While the digital revolution has been taking place for many years, we quietly hoped that the North Bend Theatre would comfortably escape it and continue to exist in the world of 35mm film for years to come; but such is not the case. Film is rapidly disappearing as movie distributors ramp up their complete conversion to digital distribution and projection of movies. This major historical shift is presenting a serious challenge to independent theatres. Existing equipment must be retired and new computer-operated projectors must be installed. Theatres unable to make this transition are facing closure...
The exciting news is that digital projection produces a stunning image! Gone will be annoying scratches and shaky movement of film and sound that is often compromised by the constant handling of films. Additionally, with a digital projector, the North Bend Theatre will be able to provide the latest 3D movies! The challenging news is that the cost to convert the projection booth and screen is steep "“ nearly $100,000.
Even in these difficult economic times, we are proud that the Theatre is a sound business with steady attendance and a positive bottom line. However, as a family run business, we do not have the ability to finance this major capital expenditure from annual earnings, nor do we feel that it is an option to try to recoup the cost through higher ticket and concession prices. We are turning to our community for donations to keep the doors of the Theatre open!
We are proud of our record of contributing to the vibrancy of both the social and economic environment of our community! We hope to be able to continue to offer the latest movies and popcorn at small town prices, bring special events like the Banff Mountain Film Festival and the International Fly Fishing Film Festival, and continue to develop our own North Bend Mountain Film Festival and Amateur Film Challenge. We hope that you will consider a donation that will allow the Theatre to continue to be a viable part of the community for generations to come.
Our fundraising program includes the ability to purchase a "Hollywood Boulevard" style star in the sidewalk outside the Theatre, see your name engraved on a large brass star in the Theatre lobby, have a chair with your name on it, buy a date to a Seattle screening and lunch with the owners and more! There are ways to contribute from $5,000 to $50 to say you had a hand in saving the North Bend Theatre.
The bottom line is that we need to find 1,000 people to donate $100 to save the North Bend Theatre. Can you help us get there? Thank you for your support over the years and for considering a personal contribution to save the North Bend Theatre!
Sincerely,
Cindy and Jim Walker
http://www.northbendtheatre.com
Feel free to contact Cindy at [email redacted] with any questions!
The North Bend Theatre recently celebrated its 70th anniversary as a center of the Snoqualmie Valley Community. The Theatre was built in 1941 as a state-of-the-art movie house with full sound and the glorious splendor of Technicolor, giving us Judy Garland's ruby-red slippers in "The Wizard of Oz!" Now, the biggest historic transition in film since the introduction of sound has arrived: digital projection. Transitioning to digital will enable the North Bend Theatre to continue showing movies "“ and operas, concerts and other special events "“ well into the next 75 years. The alternative to converting to digital is closing our doors!
While the digital revolution has been taking place for many years, we quietly hoped that the North Bend Theatre would comfortably escape it and continue to exist in the world of 35mm film for years to come; but such is not the case. Film is rapidly disappearing as movie distributors ramp up their complete conversion to digital distribution and projection of movies. This major historical shift is presenting a serious challenge to independent theatres. Existing equipment must be retired and new computer-operated projectors must be installed. Theatres unable to make this transition are facing closure...
The exciting news is that digital projection produces a stunning image! Gone will be annoying scratches and shaky movement of film and sound that is often compromised by the constant handling of films. Additionally, with a digital projector, the North Bend Theatre will be able to provide the latest 3D movies! The challenging news is that the cost to convert the projection booth and screen is steep "“ nearly $100,000.
Even in these difficult economic times, we are proud that the Theatre is a sound business with steady attendance and a positive bottom line. However, as a family run business, we do not have the ability to finance this major capital expenditure from annual earnings, nor do we feel that it is an option to try to recoup the cost through higher ticket and concession prices. We are turning to our community for donations to keep the doors of the Theatre open!
We are proud of our record of contributing to the vibrancy of both the social and economic environment of our community! We hope to be able to continue to offer the latest movies and popcorn at small town prices, bring special events like the Banff Mountain Film Festival and the International Fly Fishing Film Festival, and continue to develop our own North Bend Mountain Film Festival and Amateur Film Challenge. We hope that you will consider a donation that will allow the Theatre to continue to be a viable part of the community for generations to come.
Our fundraising program includes the ability to purchase a "Hollywood Boulevard" style star in the sidewalk outside the Theatre, see your name engraved on a large brass star in the Theatre lobby, have a chair with your name on it, buy a date to a Seattle screening and lunch with the owners and more! There are ways to contribute from $5,000 to $50 to say you had a hand in saving the North Bend Theatre.
The bottom line is that we need to find 1,000 people to donate $100 to save the North Bend Theatre. Can you help us get there? Thank you for your support over the years and for considering a personal contribution to save the North Bend Theatre!
Sincerely,
Cindy and Jim Walker
http://www.northbendtheatre.com
Feel free to contact Cindy at [email redacted] with any questions!
Organizer
Cindy Miller Walker
Organizer
North Bend, WA