ASSINIBOIA - The history of Assiniboia’s Olympia Theatre was reborn when a retro sign was erected at the current Olympia Theatre, located in the Prince of Wales Complex.
A spokesperson for the movie theatre in Assiniboia tells the Assiniboia Times, “Our theatre manager is quite a movie buff and loves old theatres and old theatre signs. The inspiration for this sign started between our theatre manager and I and in collaboration with Jordan from Able 2 Print. We agreed that paying tribute to the Assiniboia’s old Olympia Theatre from many years ago was the perfect nostalgic image we wanted to display.”
“We wanted to remind people of their small-town roots and hoped that it would always bring back memories for everyone of the good old days. I think we have accomplished this and made a lot of people smile.”
The idea to have a sign on the outside of the facility was orchestrated between current theatre manager, Tara Duperreault, who has been the theatre manager for more than a decade, and Wendy Zahariuk, who has been the facility manager for six years.
It was evident that not everyone who comes to the movies is a resident of town and because there had never been an exterior sign at this location, the long overdue decision was made to erect the sign for added exposure for this recreation venue.
“Jordan from Able 2 Print came up with the design based off old Assiniboia Olympia theatre photos. The sign was completely funded by a local grant from the Golden South Wind Community Benefit Grant and the RM Lake of the Rivers.”
Assiniboia’s Olympia Theatre seats 150 patrons and movies are shown on a weekly basis Friday through Sunday at 7 p.m.
It is no secret that many small towns don’t have the luxury of a movie theatre right at home so this attraction not only benefits residents but many surrounding communities as it makes for shorter travel distance to see a movie, with the added bonus of small-town prices.
Older and former residents fondly recall memories made at the former Olympia Theatre that was located on Main Street in Assiniboia, operated by an Assiniboian family.
