The Lake Theatre in downtown Clear Lake is thriving. Here are some examples of how they have been active in our community over the past year.
The new owners of the Lake Theatre have had a great time promoting their business in Clear Lake, including this July 4th parade float announcing their new popcorn machine (read more below).
Starting out as an Opera House in the 1890s, the Lake Theatre has long been a popular community entertainment venue alongside the Surf Ballroom and iconic City Park Bandshell. For nearly 40 years, the Sherman family nurtured the theatre and brought it into the digital age with equipment & sound system upgrades in 2012. When they decided to sell the theater, they found just the right people to take over and bring it to the next level.
New owners Aaron Donaldson & Erin Scheiffer took over in April 2016, and Clear Lake residents & visitors have noticed some fun new changes to the historic venue.
One thing locals are really excited about is that the Lake Theatre has been scoring some huge Hollywood hits on opening weekend, and even some advance showings prior to premieres of some big films, like Disney-Pixar’s Finding Dory, The Secret Life of Pets, Fantastic Beasts, Rogue One and they just received word that they will be premiering The Lego Batman Movie on February 9th. Now, those of us who choose to live in small-town Iowa don’t have to drive to a big city to see the latest movies!
They have also been doing some really fun promotions, creatively tied in to the movie showing during that week. Some of our faves?
- Finding Dory Premiere event: The lucky moviegoer that found Dory in their popcorn won a vacation package!
- Free Darth Vader balloon with purchase!
- Free Soda with Purchase of Popcorn!
If you’re ever wondering what the latest movie is or if they’ve got a special promotion, you can check out their new website at www.clearlaketheatre.com You can even buy your tickets there ahead of time!
These commemorative popcorn tins have been popular for many movies like these that were during the Star Wars: Rogue One showings!
They also have been offering special commemorative tin or plastic popcorn tubs & drink cups with one free refill during the show which have been a hot seller. Speaking of popcorn, here’s a fun fact! The Lake Theatre has a brand new popcorn maker that is three times bigger and twice as fast as the old one, but most importantly is some of the best tasting popcorn around! Purchased in summer 2016, the Cretors Popcorn maker is the 5th generation generation of a storied line of poppers; in fact, Cretors holds the original popcorn machine patent and is still proudly manufactured in the United States.
In October, Harvest Festival pass-holders were delighted to sample the popcorn and spin a special prize wheel at the Lake Theatre. Verdict: It is delicious popcorn!
Clear Lake has always prided itself as a family-friendly tourism hotspot, a great place to raise a family. The Lake Theatre is just about as family-friendly as it gets, folks! As a community supporter, plus a perfect place to entertain kids, adults, and seniors, the Lake Theatre should rank high on your list of things to do here in North Iowa.
The Lake Theatre’s winning float in the Christmas by the Lake parade featured Ralphie & the crew from A Christmas Story.
The events-driven community of Clear Lake loves a parade, and the Lake Theatre has not disappointed our crowds! They were the 2016 Christmas by the Lake Parade Winner with their “A Christmas Story” themed float (complete with leg lamp)!
For the July 4th parade, they had an interactive float asking viewers to go to their Facebook page and guess how many medium popcorns would it take to fill the giant popcorn seen on the float. They had an overwhelming response, and 9 winners won family movie packs!
We want to join in on the giveaway fever, so we have partnered with the Lake Theatre to give away one awesome Movie Packs (2 adult admissions, 1 large popcorn, & 2 large sodas) PLUS we’re going to sweeten the deal with 2 beach towels & a beach ball!
Enter here by visiting & following us on Facebook & Twitter. You can enter up to 6 times!
a Rafflecopter giveaway