Jodi Schwan

jschwan@sfbusinessjournal.com

The State Theatre will offer movies and downtown Sioux Falls will be lit up with luminaries for First Friday on Feb. 3.

When Harry Met Sally will play at the State Theatre at 6:30 p.m. followed by Fargo at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 per film. They can be purchased at the Downtown Sioux Falls Inc. office, 230 S. Phillips Ave., from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and at the State Theatre box office, 316 S. Phillips Ave. from 5 p.m. until showtime.

“The big, exciting moment is that we are able to have people into the building,” said Stacy Newcomb-Weiland, past president of the board that oversees the theater.

“We’ve been able to bring people into the lobby but not the auditorium until this year. So we’ve reached a milestone.”

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While it is still a construction zone, folding chairs are being brought it on the main level and the balcony can be opened up depending on the crowd.

There will be fire officials in the building because it doesn’t have a sprinkler system yet.

“We’ve reached a certain level of safety and addressed exits, stairs and rails,” Newcomb-Weiland said. “We’re just getting started on the auditorium. We’ve done the infrastructure and the rest of the building, but we have to touch every surface of the building. Replace every system. Every wall, floor, vent, outlet, doorknob.”

Concessions, including beverages from Fernson Brewing Co., will be sold Friday night.

Construction on the rest of the project has been slowed because of funding. The hope is to raise enough to finish it all at once, which would allow the theater to access historic tax credits covering about $1 million, or 20 percent of the project.

“It’s complicated but really a worthwhile program,” Newcomb-Weiland said. “But the amount of time it takes to raise the money is up to the community.”

Once fundraising is done, construction could take less than nine months, she said. The plan still is to show movies at the theater and use it for other community events.

“One thing I’ve always felt is most important about the State Theatre in addition to its historic value is just what it can do for our downtown and the community at large, culturally, but specifically when you have a venue open every day you start to bring a significant number of people downtown.”