After many months trying to accomplish this as well as weeks of preparing, the Washita Theater has successfully had its soft opening.
Taking place ahead of this weekend’s grand opening event, the Cordell Chamber of Commerce opened on Friday, September 3, and had more than 100 guests show up for the theater’s soft opening.
This past weekend gave Chamber members an idea of what exactly is needed and how to go about possible improvements.
“Everybody came out and they were really excited about it,” Chamber Secretary Sarah Lau said. “We kinda are still in the learning stage a little bit. We got a good rhythm. We know we need four people a night, so we will start asking for volunteers if anybody wants to help out.”
Lau said that the theater will currently run on a volunteer basis and doing so comes with some perks.
“They get to see the movie for free, and then they get a small popcorn for right now,” Lau said. “Eventually there’ll be a little bit more, but for right now, it’s seeing the movie and a small popcorn if they help out.”
Those interested in volunteering can contact the Cordell Chamber of Commerce or The Washita Theater Facebook page. Volunteering includes working the concession stand and sweeping up and taking the trash out.
“It’s really nice to be able to let them want to volunteer and help us out,” Lau said. “We’ve got kids and older ones that are going to do it. So it’s really nice to have that.”
Looking ahead, Lau said she is excited to finally have the theater open for residents to enjoy once more.
“It’ll be really nice this weekend because I won’t have to build that stinking movie,” Lau joked in regards to getting the movie to play on the projector. “But to see everybody smile and say, ‘oh, we’re so glad it’s back open,’ and that sort of thing. That was the whole purpose is to give back to the community.”
The Cordell Chamber of Commerce has worked for almost a year to get to this point after Lau had the idea to lease the theater back in February of last year.
The theater’s next big event will be during Cordell’s Spook the Square event in which Lau said she hopes to show a “halloweenish movie” as well as have members of Cordell’s fire department haunted house come down and be in the theater.
The Washita Theater’s grand opening event will take place Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. with Disney’s movie “Jungle Cruise” playing again, and tickets will be $7 for adults and $5 for kids and seniors.
A drawing will take place to celebrate the grand opening event. Guests on those nights will have the chance to win things such as a t-shirt, free movie tickets, or a free small popcorn.
Looking ahead, the theater’s current showing schedule is Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” this upcoming weekend followed by “Free Guy” on the weekend of the 17, Marvel’s “Shang Chi” the weekend of the 24, “The Addams Family 2” on October 1, and the weekend of October 9 will have the latest James Bond movie “No Time To Die.”
“We do also want to thank the community for coming out on Saturday,” Lau said. “And we do want to [ask] the community to support us and come out this weekend.”