The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) and the Adirondack Film Society have been working with 13 north country theater owners and CAP-21, to help address the digital conversion costs facing our local theaters, including the Strand of Old Forge.
Recent closures have left the Strand as one of only two small theaters left in Herkimer County.
With the closure of the Tamarack Theater in Inlet, Hamilton County now has the Indian Lake Theater as its only remaining community theater.
To address the cost of digital conversion, ANCA and the theater owners will be implementing a fundraising campaign titled, Go Digital, or Go Dark.
The campaign, which will be initiated in March or April, will have two strategies.
There will be a regional North Country strategy that will initiate an on-line marketing and fundraising campaign with funds being distributed to participating theaters.
As funds will be distributed through the non-profit Adirondack Film Society, donations will be tax-deductible.
To complement this regional campaign, The Strand and Indian Lake Theater will implement local fund raising campaigns.
Individuals and organizations may donate to either or both sources.
ANCA has a goal of raising at least 25 percent of the conversion costs through the regional campaign, with theater owners responsible for raising or financing the remaining 75% of conversion.
Conversion costs are expected to be in the range of $70,000 for the Indian Lake Theater and $275,000 for the Strand, based upon its four screens.
In addition, NY State Senator Betty Little has been working with Empire State Development and the North Country Regional Economic Development Council to establish a low-interest loan program for digital conversion.
According to CAP-21 Executive Director Nick Rose, there is recognition that local theaters are not only economic drivers for the community—bringing people to other businesses within a community—but that local theaters are an essential and important part of our community fabric and vital to our sustainability as a region.
However, it is unclear as to when such a State initiated loan program could be implemented, and if it will be timely enough for this conversion process.
There are only six theaters left within the Blue Line, with the Strand, Indian Lake and Lake Placid as the only year-round theaters and Schroon, Ausable and Tupper Lake currently operating on a seasonal basis.
The timing of the “Go Digital or Go Dark” campaign is critical as film distributorships are expected to make the conversion by late fall of this year, and the demand for equipment and installation may be factors in the timing of availability.
As most theaters rely on their summer season income for the bulk of their support, it is essential that some conversion occurs before the summer tourism season.
Support from the community is therefore essential to keep our local movie theater heritage on screen.
For more information about assisting The Strand of Old Forge with digital conversion, please contact Bob Card or Helen Zyma at (315) 369-2792 or contact info@strandoldforge.com.
To donate locally, please mail donations to: The Strand Theatre of Old Forge, P.O. Box 681, Old Forge, NY 13420.
