The lights are staying on at the Strand Theatre in Kendallville! The East Noble History Club can proudly say this statement now that its successful campaign, Project STS, is done. Project STS (Save The Strand) was started near the end of last year by the EN History Club as a way to get the word out about the dire situation of The Strand. Due to new technology, movie theatres around the world are switching to digital projectors. The Strand was equipped with film projectors and would not be able to handle the new technology.
Film was becoming scarce quickly. It looked like The Strand would soon be shutting down, unless it generated over $100,000 in a few months to buy two new projectors. The History Club took a stand and decided to help. They teamed up with the “Keep the Lights On” campaign, which was being led by community leaders in another effort to save the theatre. The EN club created @ProjectSTS on Twitter to gain as many followers as possible. The club managed the social media for the campaign and generated a lot of attention.
Within a few short months, over $116,000 was raised to save The Strand. Thanks to efforts and donations by students and citizens of the area, the historic theatre has been saved. The digital projectors have already been ordered, and it looks like our favorite home town theatre will be showing movies for many years to come.