New roof for Souris’s cherished Avalon Theatre

The Municipality of Souris-Glenwood began repairing the roof of the Avalon Theatre this month at a cost of about $88,000.

The municipality decided to remove the existing tar and gravel roof and replace it with tin to address ongoing leakage problems, Mayor Duane Davison said. He highlighted that the 98-year-old building is in good shape, but that the roof was damaged by the elements.

“We’ve had a little bit of water problems off and on, but it became a little more serious this winter with the freeze thaws we’ve had,” Davison said in a recent interview. “It kind of became a priority just over the past several months.”

The roof had repeatedly suffered from water seeping in and then freezing and thawing, he said.

According to a project estimate tabled at council, the repairs included to resheet the entire roof area, remove an old vent, install new vents, and blow in new insulation. Davison said council supported the project because the theatre is a fixture of the community.

“That whole structure is important to our community,” Davison said. “The theater itself gets used a lot, and it has historical significance. We want to maintain that.”

The Avalon Theatre today shows regular movies on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through a volunteer run board and volunteer theatre staff list. It is used for local events from school plays to weddings, and recently hosted the community’s local political debate last year in August during the run for the Spruce Woods byelection.

Water had been leaking onto the stage through the damaged roof in the fall, and also during warm days this winter when snow thawed on the roof, the theatre’s board chair Debbie Butler told the Sun in March. The leak allowed water to drip onto the movie screen and damaged the ceiling plaster to the point that the plaster was falling, she said.

“If we would get rain, there would be dripping going on,” she said. “If we had a nice day (in the winter), it was dripping.”

A number of birthday parties, regular movie screenings and an arts council function was cancelled as a result of the theatre’s temporary closure in January, Butler said. The repair to bring the community theatre back into shape is very welcome, she added.

“We’re pretty happy,” she said. “I feel our theatre is very important to the community.”

The repair started in early March, and was set to last about one week. The cost estimation that was provided to the municipality was $88,884.60 in December. Davison said that the project may cost less depending on how the work unfolded.

Souris local Tara Lee said she is excited to see the repair to the “cherished” place for the small community. She said it’s a place where the life of the community is seen.

“For generations, it has brought people together through concerts, films, plays, and shared experiences,” she wrote in a social media message to the Sun. “It holds a special place in the memories of the thousands of people who have called Souris home.

“The Avalon is a cherished fixture in Souris.”

Cathy Phair, a social media user from Souris, told the Sun that she likes the Avalon because it is one of the few places that is affordable for a movie outing. The theatre currently prices movie admission for adults at $6, with a combo of a drink, a bar and medium popcorn priced at another $6.

The theare is able to offer lower prices because it is run by volunteers.

Butler said that an additional $12,000 to $15,000 in renovations is expected to upgrade the concession of the movie theatre this spring. The goal is to give the area a facelift, install new cupboards and new countertops, and get it finished by the end of April.

“I think it’s onwards and upwards,” Butler said.

Davison said the nearly 100-year-old roof needed a repair due to its age. Davison said the municipality may go ahead in the future with brick repointing work on the building as well.

“It’s long-overdue upkeep, basically maintenance,” he said. “Structurally, the building is fine.”

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com