GRAND THEATER FOUNDATION PRESS RELEASE JULY 8, 2025

It’s with heavy hearts that we share this: our beloved Grand Theater is facing the potential of foreclosure
in the next two weeks.
Here are the details of why we are in this predicament. Some of you might not know that in July 2024,
we hired a company to fix our roof, and before work was completed a storm came through that caused
extensive water damage and flooding to our building. We thought the best action was to hire a cleaning
company to limit the amount of water damage. This company did a great job removing the standing water,
but as we all know, water goes wherever it wants. The seats, curtains, screens, digital projectors, walls,
ceilings, and stage fell victim to the gallons of water that showered down from the ongoing construction
on the roof.
It has been a long journey with months of volunteer work from selfless individuals and our loyal
employees. We were fortunately able to open our doors again. Unfortunately, we have come across
several legal hurdles. Our insurance claim has been denied, and the roofing company has denied
responsibility. We decided to take legal action on the roofing company, but our court date is set for
September 2026.
In the next two weeks we must pay a huge bill to the company who helped dry out the theater after the
flood. The reality is we do not have enough money to pay them.
It’s been almost 10 years since our wonderful community came together to make the reopening of the
Grand Theater happen. The Grand Theater has been more than just a place to watch movies — it’s been a
space for the community.
Once again, we need your help. We need to raise $125,000 in the next two weeks to keep the Grand
Theater. Without it, we will be forced to close and will no longer have control of the building.
We hope you find it in your hearts to contribute to our cause. We know there are so many worthwhile
causes out there, but we feel this one is so important to our community.
Please note that at this time the theater should not be considered non profit 501C3.
If you’ve ever laughed, cried, or felt inspired in our seats — now is the time to act.
Please consider contributing, share this post, and help us keep the Grand running for many years
to come.
Please send any contributions to The Grand Theater, 212 E. Robinson St. Knoxville, IA 50138
You may also make a contribution through the following PayPal link.
https://paypal.me/GrandTheaterKnox?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US