The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Let me make it VERY clear. NO ONE is to blame for the theater closure.

We were not able to raise the $90,000 needed to upgrade from 35mm film to digital. Our 35mm projector broke and the part we needed, they did not make anymore. We asked the community for help. Very few offered to help us. We had raised a pledged amount of approximately $2,500 — no where near what we needed to open the doors again.

My grandmother, Carole Fisher (now deceased) had bought the theater to try and keep it up and running to give back to this community — before she found out about the cancer coming back. When she passed away, the theater was passed down to my mother, Lynette Zierden. When we couldn't afford to keep the theater, and the bills kept piling up, we got out of our lease, and gave the theater back to the town of Coulee Dam.

And just so everyone knows, unless the bowling alley gets bought here soon, because they are selling Riverview Lanes, the only business that will be in that building will be The Melody.

Now think about that. What is there left for the kids to do in this community? When the theater was open, a good number of the kids were there Friday and some even there again on Saturday just to have something to do and not be bored at home or doing other things.

But once again, NO ONE IS TO BLAME FOR THE CLOSURE OF THE THEATER. So quit pointing fingers at each other. If you want it back, someone step up, and go to the town of Coulee Dam and see what you can do.

Mara Landrum

-daughter of former owner