The Traer Theatre pictured shortly after reopening following the COVID-19 pandemic back in the fall of 2021. The hometown movie theater recently experienced a failure of its sound system and is now working to raise $10,000 for the repairs. TAMA-GRUNDY FILE PHOTO

TRAER – There’s been a bit too much drama going on lately at the Traer Theatre.

Earlier this month on Nov. 6, the sound system at the non-profit, 144-seat movie theater unexpectedly failed, leading to a temporary closure.

And while the parts to fix the system were quickly ordered and subsequently installed on Wednesday, Nov. 15 – with the theater reopening two days later on Nov. 17 – the cost to do so has proved a challenge.

“On an already struggling budget, this added a big financial strain,” Traer Theatre manager Mona Larsen told the Telegraph.

The theater is now hoping to raise $10,000 to help pay for the recent repairs and has put out a plea to the community for financial help.

The 144-seat, historic Traer Theatre located downtown on the west end of Second Street. TAMA-GRUNDY FILE PHOTO

“I feel it is really important to our community to keep our theater open,” Larsen said. “I have many memories of being a kid watching movies at our theater. It wasn’t quite as nice then as it is now but I loved our theater then as much as I do now. We are so lucky to have such a nice theater for individuals and families to attend without driving out of town.”

For only a $3 admission the public can watch a brand new release – making for an affordable night of local family fun that’s hard to beat.

The theater board’s president Jon Panfil echoed Larsen’s comments in a text exchange with the Telegraph.

“We have received some [financial] help from the city through [local option sales] tax in the past,” Panfil said. “[M]ostly we survive by donations and grants.”

“There is no way we can keep the doors open just with ticket sales and concessions.”

How to donate

Monetary gifts of any size for the theater fundraiser are welcome and appreciated, Larsen said, and all gifts will be recognized on the donor’s slide that plays on screen during pre-movie advertising.

Checks can be made payable to Traer Theatre and mailed to the theater at 516 2nd Street, Traer, IA 50675, or dropped off during a show.

For those who would like their gift to be tax deductible, checks must be made payable to the Traer Community Foundation with a note in the memo line that the gift is for the Traer Theatre Fundraiser. Those checks can be delivered directly to Farmers Savings Bank in Traer.

The option to donate through Venmo is now also available. Search for @traertheatre50675.

In the meantime, the theater will continue to operate in the hopes that funds can be raised as quickly as possible.

Last weekend the movie “Trolls Band Together” was screened and has been held over through the Thanksgiving weekend, after which the Martin Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone will play.

As part of the Traer Chamber of Commerce’s annual Holiday Happenings weekend taking place on Saturday, Dec. 2, Larsen said Traer Theatre will screen “The Grinch” free for children and their caregivers.

“We have a couple of kids movies scheduled between now and Christmas,” Larsen continued, “[and] one thing’s for sure, you’ll always be amongst friends at our theatre and you’ll always have freshly popped popcorn!”

And hopefully, soon, there will be a lot less drama playing out off-screen at the beloved downtown theater.

For more information, be sure to follow the Traer Theatre on Facebook.