NEW SHARON — Shifting from film to digital is an expensive proposition for a movie theater. In New Sharon, they're asking the community to lend a hand.
Sam Hudson, of New Sharon, a member of the 12-member Capri Theater Restoration Committee that owns the theater, said they’re asking businesses and families to donate $75 apiece. The committee is a non-profit organization run by volunteers, said Hudson.
“If we get 1,000 people to do that, we would raise the $75,000 that is needed to purchase a new digital projector,” explained Hudson.
Many movie theaters have been making the transition from film projectors to a digital format in recent years. Hudson explained that the digital format is comparable to a disc used in a DVD player and will allow them to show the increasingly popular 3D format movies.
“We’ve been hearing buzz about it for a couple of years,” said Hudson.
Hudson said that there are a lot of children that value the Capri Theater as a source of entertainment on the weekends. The one-screen theater shows one movie at a time on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, Hudson said. They screen movies at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with a matinee each Sunday at 2 p.m.
“It keeps them out of trouble,” said Hudson.
The Capri Theater Restoration Committee formed in 1994, said Hudson, adding that they re-openned the theater in 1996.
Those interested in donating can make checks out to the Capri Theater Fund raiser and send them to P.O. Box 336, New Sharon, IA 50207. All donations are tax-deductable, Hudson noted.
The goal is to have the new digital projector in place by July 1, according to Hudson.
