Community invited to theater’s marquee fundraising kickoff Nov. 4
Community members are invited to a kick-off event for the historic Holland Theatre’s campaign to raise funds for a replica of its original grand marquee.
Slated for Friday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m., the evening will include a slide show of the original marquee, the public’s first glimpse of renditions of the new marquee, Dutch-themed refreshments and a showing of the film “The Majestic.”
Theater personnel had previously announced a pledge of $220,000* for the project from the Jeffris Family Foundation in Janesville, Wis., a one-to-two match that requires the theater to raise $440,000 over the next three years.
The kickoff for that effort will include information about donating at various levels and options for having donors’ family or business names appear on the marquee.
The marquee celebration will follow the celebration of Bellefontaine’s designation as one of Ohio Magazine’s Best Hometowns. Those festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. on the courthouse lawn or, in the event of bad weather, at the Holland.
“We’re so proud that others are recognizing our community’s appreciation for our history and historic buildings,” said Holland board chair Kris Swisher. “When it’s restored, the marquee will add even more excitement to Bellefontaine’s downtown.”
Removed in the 1950s due to street expansion and traffic, the original marquee was a striking feature of the theater when it opened in 1931 and the decades that followed.
The new marquee, to be built by Wagner Electric Sign Co. of Elyria, will combine the grandeur of the past with the latest in LED technology.
This is the second time the Holland has worked with the Jeffris Family Foundation, which played a major role in the theater’s interior restoration.
In 2016, the Jeffris Family Foundation awarded a $430,000 Challenge Grant to the Holland Theatre, also with a one-to-two local match. The local fundraising requirement of $860,000 was met in November 2018.
Buoyed by the Jeffris Family Foundation, community support and government and private grants, the theater completed a multimillion-dollar restoration in 2019, with a wide array of improvements made to the facility to beautify it and restore it to its 1931 glory.
*Editor’s note: Numbers from initial announcement were $200,000 for the grant and a $400,000 matching requirement; these figures have been updated.