BERWICK, Pa. — Moviegoers and theater lovers in Columbia County are in luck. After a 19-month closure, the Berwick Theater will reopen this weekend.
"So many people have put their blood, sweat, and tears into this, and so many people have volunteered their time, money, and efforts to get to where we are, so I can't wait," said Brandy Wright, a Berwick Theater board member.
Newswatch 16 stopped by in October of 2022 when the theater was having problems with its roof. The theater raised $350,000 to fix the roof, but there was a problem.
"When they started pulling up the rubber roofing, they realized the underlayment needed to be replaced, which doubled the cost of the roof. That is when we closed down because it became a safety issue for our patrons," said board member Marcie Snyder.
The Berwick Theater closed for repairs in December of 2022. Costs climbed to $750,000 in repairs. Thanks to grant money and donations, the theater is able to reopen this weekend.
"People in the community who would come in and give us $100, $500, $50, whatever it was, coming out to bingo fundraisers, to buying raffle tickets, to the county commissioners and Salem Township, who handed us checks for a couple thousand dollars to open back up," Snyder said.
Board members are excited to welcome the community this weekend with "Kung Fu Panda 4."
"So glad that we are able to move forward now. When we shut down, we had a full schedule of not only movies but live shows and live music. That's where we were heading, and to be able to go back to that is wonderful," Snyder added.
Board members say more renovations are planned, but those can be done while the Berwick Theater is open.