FRANKLIN, IN — It isn't every day that a 100th birthday celebration happens. In downtown Franklin, the party they are planning is designed to help ensure there will be more birthday parties in the future for the building that has anchored the city's downtown area for the last century.
The Historic Artcraft Theatre turns 100 this year. Opening on November 1, 1924, it was a major destination for Vaudeville shows in the 1920's and '30s as well as movies from the day the doors opened.
Franklin Heritage has owned the theater since 2004, and the group has been restoring it ever since. Though they have long showed classic movies and held other events on a near constant basis, there is still work to be done on the 15-thousand square foot building. That's why the Artcraft's 100th Anniversary gala on Saturday, Sept. 10 is so important.
The gala will not only be a party, featuring a 1920's theme, a silent movie, Vaudeville acts and a street party in downtown Franklin, it will also be a major fundraiser that will keep the Artcraft's building healthy into the next century.
You can watch my interview with Rob Shilts, executive director of Franklin Heritage and an excellent popcorn maker, in the link above. Click here to find out how you can get tickets to Saturday's gala.
