'We're the nutballs crazy enough to try it': Cranbrook, B.C.'s Armond Theatre closer to reopening
Resuscitating the Armond Theatre seemed like an impossible task to most people living in Cranbrook, B.C., but for Ferdy Belland — a local musician and bassist for Bif Naked — and his two business partners Spencer Kerr and Casey Wright, leaving the nearly 70-year-old venue to die wasn't an option.
"It's an ambitious project for sure, but we're the nutballs who are crazy enough to try it," said Belland.
"We want to big play a big part in civic pride, we want to play a big part in downtown revitalization, and we're just riding on a big wave of love and encouragement and enthusiasm from all walks of life here in Cranbrook."
On Sunday, a portion of 10th Avenue S. in the southeast B.C. city's core was blocked off so crews could install four, 5,000-pound steel beams to reinforce the roof.
With a 50-metre crane towering over the businesses below, it was the most significant renovation project that downtown Cranbrook had seen in roughly 20 years.
"We're hoping to have the remaining structural upgrades to the roof completed by September," said Belland.
"Then, we can just run hog wild on the interior, and we're hoping to be completed and open to the public sometime between the fall of 2022 and the spring of 2023."
A steel beam is moved into place at the Armond Theatre in Cranbrook B.C. as part of a restoration project.
It cost roughly $60,000 to reinforce the roof with the four steel beams, but for a group of investors eager to reinvigorate the local live music, comedy, and theatre scene, that's a small price to pay.
The Armond Theatre first opened its doors in 1953, and up until 2000, it was a staple for many residents who still cherish the memories made inside the popular entertainment hub.
Seeing it rise from the dead has many locals giddy about the future.
"Just to see this building getting ready for this kind of thing, it's exciting," said lifelong resident and local musician Rick Dorazio.
"I'm getting chills just thinking about it and seeing this work."
The Armond Theatre has been sorely missed, and locals hope that reopening its doors to the public will spark a sense of community that seems to have dissipated over the past few years.
"We've lost that heart of the community. This is a prime example of a businessman looking and having faith in the future of Cranbrook," said resident Gary Dalton.
The hope is that by the time the pandemic has passed, people will be jumping for the opportunity to flock back to live concerts, kicking off the roaring 20s 2.0 and Belland can't wait for that time to come.
"Just have the beams in, it's such a huge relief. A lot of joy that it all worked out," he said.
"We've already completed two 'impossible' tasks, so on to the third. Opening it to the public."
When the theatre does eventually reopen, the standing room floor and balcony space will allow for bigger names to perform in town, while also paving the way for live plays and stand-up comedy acts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.