A former opera house in eastern Iowa will be the focus of celebrations this weekend. Governor Terry Branstad will join residents of Tipton on Saturday morning to mark the 100th anniversary of the Hardacre Theater.
Greg Brown is president of the board of the Hardacre Theater Preservation Association. He says the governor will help unveil the plaque showing the theater has just been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Being added to the National Register will also make the theater eligible for tax credits and grants to fix it up.
Brown says the association bought the Hardacre in 2013, and closed it for safety reasons. To re-open, it'll need about 3.8 million dollars worth of renovations.
Saturday night, the association will host a party for the Hardacre Theater at the Cedar County fairgrounds, complete with birthday cake and entertainment. And officially begin the campaign to raise money for the renovations.
When it re-opens the theater can once again host the annual Hardacre Film Festival - founded in 1997, it's the longest running film festival in Iowa, and in recent years has been held at Tipton High School.
