The Grand Theater in Knoxville is looking for community support after they suffered devastating water damage at the end of July.

During the last week of July, a construction company started working on roof repairs at the theater, and on one of the days Knoxville experienced severe weather and heavy rainfall. The tarp that was placed over the hole on the roof blew off and it rained heavily inside the building for several hours. The damage from the water is looking like hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs, according to the theater. The theater is doing the best they can to make the repairs happen after the construction company has not taken any financial responsibility for the damages. The theater is still figuring everything out with their own insurance company and what they will cover. 

The ways the community can support during this time according to Grand Theater Foundation President Curt Schwanabek is to make a donation or simply purchase their curbside popcorn on the weekends. 

“If you can’t afford to make a donation, I totally understand that, but if you like popcorn, this weekend is drive up curbside popcorn from 5:00-8:00 pm on Friday and Saturday night. You can give a large plain or buttered for just five bucks.”

If you would like to make a donation to help with clean up costs you can follow this link. Schwanabek is hopeful that the theater can open back up in 4-6 weeks as long as the screens, sound system, and seats are up to standard as other repairs can come at a later time.