WEYBURN — Current and past members of the Weyburn Youth Council met at the future site for the Weyburn Spark Cinema, to present a donation for the first Star on the Walk of Fame, to be installed in the lobby of the new theatre building.
They gathered with city councillors and members of the board for the Weyburn Theatre Community Service Cooperative.
Since the closure of the Soo Line Theatre in 2017, the absence of a movie theatre in Weyburn has been a recurring topic of discussion among the Weyburn Youth Council.
Coun. Jeff Richards noted the Youth Council first began discussions about the need for the theatre in 2018, and Coun. Ryan Janke echoed that.
He attributed the current success of the theatre co-operative’s moving forward with the theatre project to the members of Youth Council for pushing that agenda, and encouraging it to become a reality.
"This project is more than just a building. It's about restoring a community space where memories will be made, especially for the youth in our community. We are honoured to contribute and excited to see the impact this new theatre will have on our city," said Weyburn Youth Mayor Nikola Erasmus, and a board member of the theatre co-operative.
A number of past Youth Mayors were present for the announcement, including Landon Field, Jaylynn Haupstein, Megan Ebel, Dalton Molnar, Gracyn Knipfel, and Maya Knipfel, a former youth councillor and secretary, and current councillors Harper Williams and Yuan Presto.
The Walk of Fame fundraiser seeks donation of $2,500 per star, and is modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
There are limited quantities of these stars still available. Sponsors will have their name or business name on a large star on the floor of the lobby area.
For seat sponsorships, there are 120 seats remaining, with the cost at $500 per seat. For this sponsorship, donors will be recognized on a seat map to be displayed outside of each of the two theatres.
Sponsorships can be made by mailing or dropping off a cheque at the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce office, or by PayPal through the website at www.weyburntheatre.com.
There is also e-transfer available, at [email protected].
Janke, who is also president of the co-operative board of directors, indicated that corporate sponsorships will also be welcomed to help the group get closer to the final amount needed.
The Weyburn Theatre Community Service Co-operative have approximately $1.2 million in committed funding to help get this project off the ground. While they are still waiting on final construction quotes, inflationary pressures have increased the project cost beyond the initial estimates of $3.2 million.
