KINGMAN � Driving along the red-brick-laid Main Street, the local theater marquee proudly displays �GRAND OPENING X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.�



Since going dark nine months ago, the Kingman Theater will be screening movies again. Friday�s 7:30 screening marked not only a move into the digital age, but numerous hours of work and support from this small farming community to rehabilitate their theater.



�We�ve come a long way,� said Michael Miller, president of the Kingman Community Theater Association.



Built in 1919, the Kingman Theater has been a fixture of small-town life. Originally built for�vaudeville/silent movies, the theater has seen its share of upgrades over its history, while holding true to the Art Deco style of the time. The Kingman Theater is one of only a few single-screen cinemas of its era left in Kansas; others include the Regent in Wellington and the Palace in Kinsley.�The movie house screened older first-run movies on 35-millimeter film on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Over the years, the theater has held weddings, been a place where children can meet Santa at Christmas, and�been a bastion for the arts, including fashion and talent shows.



It was run by private ownership until 2011, when it became apparent it might have to close for good. Locals, however, formed the Kingman Community Theater Association, a nonprofit organization,�to buy the theater, but in August 2013 the aging projector and electrical system prevented continued operation.



�It takes a lot of work to keep the movies going,� said Janice Smith, the association�s treasurer. �We decided that we needed to close and concentrate on money-making projects.�



The association hosted a variety of fundraisers, and won $214,000 in grants from the Kansas Department of Commerce as part of the Kansas Community Service Tax Credit Program.�



�We sold all our tax credits and had more people wanting them,��Smith said. �We�ve had great support from the community.�



According to the Department of Commerce, applicants can request up to $250,000 in credits.



Smith said so far the money has purchased new digital equipment including a new projector, screen and sound system. The screen and projector�are able�to project 3D movies, although Smith said they likely won�t be showing those anytime soon.



�We�re not going to rush right into that until we have to, but we thought if we�re going to buy a screen let�s at least be ready,� she said.



Additionally, renovations to the building�s back wall, repairs to the stage floor and work on some termite damage and a new roof have�occurred.



�That�s phase one,� Miller said. �We�ll eventually do a phase two that will include upgrading the bathrooms, making those ADA-accessible, probably the concession area to improve that whole thing.�



Other sites struggle



Many smaller communities like Kingman have lost their theaters, including Pratt and Medicine Lodge. The theater in Anthony is currently screening later-run movies as it attempts to raise money for digital equipment. The Kingman Theater recently donated its�old sound system to the Anthony theater to help it along until an upgrade.



�They�re struggling just like we were,� Miller said. �They�re trying to go digital and haven�t made it that far. People gave us breaks and we�re trying to pay it forward. They really needed them.�



Leaders in Kingman hope�Kingman can see an economic benefit from�its theater.



�I know that in this area a lot of the movie theaters such as Pratt have closed down; we�ll be a community where people can still come and go to the movies,� said City Manager Emily Graf. �It�ll be an activity that a lot of smaller communities now have lost.�



Wanda Kelsey, executive director of the Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce, said the theater is a link to the city�s past and an anchor to downtown. She also said it supports established shops and restaurants and provides employment and volunteer opportunities.



�The strong support and hard work needed to go digital and complete restoration efforts shows the real sense of community pride in Kingman,� she said.



Jeri Andersen, owner of Jeri�s Kitchen, said she sees the benefit of the theater firsthand.



�It gets people out,� she said.



Andersen said in the past her restaurant has offered discounts to patrons who wanted a dinner-and-movie deal.



�It instills instead of going to Wichita and going out to eat and spending your money over there it keeps people in town and keeps our restaurants going,� Smith said. �It�s important for the small towns to keep open and another reason to keep people coming.�



Before�the digital conversion, Miller said movie patrons were coming to Kingman from Medicine Lodge, Pratt, Pretty Prairie and Cheney.



�We have people coming in from literally every direction,� he said.



Community affair



Smith said one of the�primary reason the association worked to restore the theater was to help revive the community.



�It�s a strive to keep Kingman alive,� she said. �What we want is to keep our junior high kids off the street and (for) our elderly.�We have a lot of elderly and a lot of them will go and support the theater. We try not to have R-rated movies. Once in a great while we get one, but we try to keep them for general audiences. It�s a small town.�



Kingman resident Lynne Schreiner and her family are elated for the theater's comeback. Schreiner has two sets of twins, Colby and Alex, age 11, and Collin and Ryan, age 8.



�For the kids, going to the movie is the thing to do,� she said. �We love the theater.�



The theater is staffed primarily by volunteers and board members. Schreiner said she hopes her older children will one day be able to help out.



Jim Lord, the theater's projectionist, said he has noticed how much people have missed the movies during the hiatus. This was his primary motivation to help expedite the process.



�People are chomping at the bit to get back in the theater,� he said.



Smith said both banks and local businesses have given support to the cause in order to help progress get moving.



�It hasn�t been just the board, it hasn�t been just the kids, it�s really been the entire community,� Smith said. �When we first opened up it said 'community-owned' because that�s what it�s taken. It�s taken this whole community to make this happen.�