JERSEYVILLE - The Stadium Theater in Jerseyville at 117 E. Pearl St., is putting the final touches on a marquee restoration and will reopen after COVID-19 closure on May 7, owner Steve Dougherty said today.
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Dougherty said people in Jerseyville and nearby cities are ready for the theater to open again.
“Everybody misses the theater and the popcorn,” he said. “We are going to show ‘Black Widow’ that weekend. I have been waiting for the blockbuster movies to come out again. Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have been closed for about a year and three quarters out of the last two years.”
Beth Bear of the Jersey County Business Association said she and the others in the community can’t wait for the theater doors to open.
“Everyone is super excited,” she said. “They have been refurbishing the sign in front and it is going to look really fantastic. We are glad to have them open in town. I think the Stadium owner and theater have done a wonderful job staying in touch with the public. They even opened a couple times to sell popcorn and candy and the lines were long for that. I found it really enduring that they did that to stay in touch with their customer.”
Dougherty is excited to see the marquee completely refurbished. He said it will look like it did when it first opened in 1949 when finished. He explained that the Stadium was able to get a city TIF grant to assist with that. He said it was great the money he spent on taxes came back in that form.
The Stadium owner said proper COVID-19 protocol will be followed at the theater. He said masks will be required for entry and to obtain concessions, but once people are seated, they can take their masks off to eat their goodies.
Dougherty plans later in the year to bring in new digital projectors to the Stadium in Jerseyville and again said he can’t wait to open the doors to the public again.
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