The Roxy Theatre Board of Trustees, a non-profit made up of six Shelby community members, have been hard at work restoring the Roxy Theater six years after its closure in 2019. Recently, they’ve reinstalled the trademark neon sign to light up downtown Shelby once again.
After months of tiling, painting, installing new equipment, and a new roof, the Roxy Theatre is being brought back to life.
One recently revitalized element of the historic Roxy Theatre is the iconic neon sign out front. The neon letters were sent off for repair in November of last year, and on Tuesday, returned once again to Main Street.
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President of the Roxy Theatre Board of Trustees, Bill Hunt, says he hopes that bringing back the Roxy’s neon sign will revitalize the life that downtown Shelby once had, saying, “I first moved here in the late nineties. Downtown was lit up with neon, and it was a very cool place, all the neon, and it was just something to see. Go downtown now, it's dark. If we keep those lights on, it's going to really bring back the night life on Main Street.” The board plans to leave the Roxy Theatre sign on even on nights the theatre is closed.
The Roxy also saw the installment of a brand new digital projector and sound system.
One member of the theatre’s tech crew, Roy Nollkamper, explains, “It's one of the best, I think, one of the best sound systems and projectors existing in the state right now. This sound will just knock you apart. The low end of it will make your tummy rumble. And it's just a really good experience, especially for a small community up here on the Hi-Line.”
However, not everything in the theatre has been changed. RJ Burns had previously worked in the Roxy Theatre when he was in high school, and put up the sound folds that line the walls of the theater.
He says, “It took me about a week, and I put this stuff up. It's wrinkled in places like this because people sit too close to it, but it's in really good shape, and I'm glad they didn't tear it out and redo it.”
Once the theater opens, Burns will work as the manager of the theater. The Roxy Theatre Board of Trustees are aiming to get the theatre open by early June, just in time for the return of the Roxy’s summer children’s matinees. One young Shelby resident, Celee Flesch, says, “I'm really excited for the Roxy to be open and just watch movies.”
If you’re interested in helping out or donating, contact the Roxy Theater Board of Trustees at roxy_is_cool@yahoo.com.
(AUGUST 27, 2024) Community members and business owners have came together to form the Roxy Theater Board of Trustees in an effort to reopen the Roxy Theater in Shelby.
After the Roxy Theater in downtown Shelby closed in 2019, it sat empty for five years until the building owners put it up for sale this past April. Noticing the ‘for sale’ sign, a group of six locals formed the Roxy Theater Group Board of Trustees, with a plan to purchase and restore the nearly eighty year old building. The board includes Jeanne McDonough, Melissa Flesch, Brice Kluth, Dr. Alan Bridge, Jade Goroski and Bill Hunt.
Bill Hunt, a board member on the Roxy Theater Group Board of Trustees, explains, “Myself and five others pretty much noticed a ‘for sale’ sign at the same time, and wanted to do something with the theater and get it back up and running. So we pretty much magically converged and decided to form a group, and approached the city council about purchasing it and leasing it back to us.”
Recently, the City purchased the building, using donated funds allotted for community benefit. No local tax dollars were used for the purchase or restoration of the Roxy. The City will now lease the building to The Roxy Theater Group Board of Trustees, who are working to secure their nonprofit status and funding through grants and donations to renovate the theater and operate it.
Hunt says, “I'm really pleasantly surprised and amazed by the city's willingness to step up and make this work. One of the things small local governments can do is really revitalize deteriorating downtown areas.”
While the interior of the Roxy is in surprisingly good shape, and sporting a new roof recently installed by the City, there is still a lot of work to be done. The building needs new carpet, updates to the electricals, HVAC work, sound equipment and projectors, a deep cleaning, and of course work to get the neon lights back up and running, a downtown Shelby trademark.
Roxy Theater Group Board of Trustees member Melissa Flesch says, “It's going to do so much for the community just to see it all lit up again at night with all the neon lights. A lot of these businesses up and down Main Street, we surround ourselves with the neon light theme. In the evenings, it's so beautiful when you catch all these lights, and our beautiful Shelby light down there too. It's just really good energy”.
The Board and other members of the community agree that the theater is an integral part of small town culture. One board member, Jeanne McDonough, grew up in Shelby and remembers going to the theater as a child, and bringing her children and grandchildren to the Roxy for matinees and popcorn. McDonough explains, “Whether you're two or you're ninety, it's the theater, right? You're going to have an involvement with that. You have an opportunity to come to movies”.
It will take some time before the Roxy is ready for a premiere. Donations, volunteers, and grants are needed to keep the project on track. If you’re interested in helping out or donating, contact the Roxy Theater Board of Trustees at roxy_is_cool@yahoo.com.
