The Grand Theatre in Crookston is undergoing a few changes this summer, with one being the lighting underneath the marquee of the theatre. The Grand Theatre opened in 1910 and is the longest-running movie theatre in the U.S.
Owner Brian Moore explained why they felt the need to make a few updates. “The building is really old, so we just like to do a little maintenance on it every year,” said Moore. “This year under the marquee where the trace lights go, we’ve re-sanded it and are going to repaint it and make it look good. It should be beautiful again.”
The surface underneath the marquee had been worn down over the years and will be a nice addition to the theatre. “Most people may not notice,” said Moore. “But it’s nice for me to have these projects to work on and make the theatre look nice.”
Hours for the theatre are still the same and are weekdays at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., with weekend showings at 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Moore says they’re in need to get their numbers back to where they were before now that we’re coming out of the pandemic. “Well, we are open and need people to come in and support us,” said Moore. “We’re still at 50% of what we were in 2019, so we could use a few more people in to help us out.”
A new sound system is also being installed in the second theatre, and Moore says that’s something he’s really excited about. “We’re upgrading the sound system in that theatre, and it should be fantastic,” said Moore. “It was running mono sound, and now it’ll be center, left, and right with the surround speakers in there, so it should be fantastic in there. The sound is for 150 people, and we seat 80 in that theatre so that the sound will be amazing.
The Grand Theatre will also be participating in Crazy Day’s this coming Thursday. Moore spoke a little bit about what that will look like for people who stop by. “We’re doing video games on the big screen for Crazy Days as well as a buy one get one free admission with the purchase of snacks,” said Moore. “It should be an enjoyable day, and we’re excited about having people come out.
Below you can find before and after photos of the marquee lighting project. Moore will paint the surface and install the lights later this summer.
