For many years, the Ainsworth community enjoyed its family-run movie theater. Eventually that family decided to retire and sell the theater. Not long after that, tragedy struck the Royal Theater: An early-morning fire left it completely in ruin. A group was formed and decided to keep the theater alive. UBT’s own Kathy Klammer described the decision, saying, “We just knew we had to find a way to bring the theater back and keep it going. It was too important to our community and surrounding towns to simply let it go.”

With the commitment of Kathy and others who rolled up their sleeves, the big questions became, “How and where?” They had to decide whether to rebuild at the site of the fire, buy an existing space and remodel it into a theater, or build a theater from the ground up. Fortunately, a space became available — right on Main Street — which the group purchased and began remodeling.

The new 72-seat Ainsworth Grand Theater opened in August 2019, to the delight of Ainsworth and neighboring residents. Through a pandemic and other challenges, the theater remained open and welcomes movie-goers every weekend. It couldn’t happen without the help of many supportive businesses, groups, and volunteers, who take turns staffing the theater every weekend.

It’s that kind of teamwork and togetherness that really defines a community. For Kathy, that’s what makes being a part of the Ainsworth community so rewarding.