Historic theatre in Ohio hosts first movie screening in more than 50 years

IRONTON, Ohio (NBC, KYMA) - For the first time in more than 50 years, the marquee is shining and the projector is rolling once again at Ironton, Ohio's Historic Ro-Na Theatre.

After decades without a movie, the historic theatre in Ironton is screening films once again.

"19 years and we've spent a lot of time a lot of blood sweat and tears in this building and we've lost a couple people along the way you know we dedicated some of this to them...but we finally reached our goal," said Jeff Mowery, Vice President of the Friends of Ironton.

The last movie shown was "The Godfather" in 1973. Now, after years of restoration, the lights are back on.

For longtime residents and members of the Friends of Ironton, seeing the theatre come back to life is a moment they never thought they'd see.

"The first time I walked into the theater after the after it was done, I walked down in the middle of the auditorium and I just stood there and cried. I never thought I'd never thought that we would ever see the Rona look like it does today," said Suzie Hamlin, member of the Friends of Ironton.

A $50,000 grant from T-Mobile helped pay for a new movie screen, making it possible for the Ro-Na to once again show films, and the first movie selected for its return to the big screen was a familiar one, "We Are Marshall."

Before the screening, people involved with the film spoke about its production and impact on the community, including former Marshall head coach Mark Snyder.

"Pretty excited we got the Friends of Ironton putting this on. They've come and renovated this. They've done a fantastic job and to honor this. Their whole goal again is to get young people educated about the tragedy that happened in our region and I think it's very very exciting," Snyder expressed.

For those gathered inside the theatre, the night was about more than watching a movie it was about seeing a piece of Ironton history come back to life, and this is just the beginning, with more movies now planned for the Ro-Na.

Organizers said the T-Mobile grant was a game changer for getting modern equipment installed, and said they're already working on the next lineup of screenings.