Now that businesses are beginning to open their doors to the public more and more, one thing that I have personally missed is going to the movie theater! No matter how big our TV screens are getting these days, there is nothing that can replace the experience of seeing a movie for the first time on a big screen.

The smell of popcorn. The overly-priced candy that comes in special movie-theater packaging. Laughing with your peers, or being awed and wowed by new special effects. Members of the Crested Butte and Gunnison communities suffered for years without a movie theater until the Majestic in Crested Butte reopened its doors a few years back; however, since COVID-19 essentially shut down the whole world, movie theaters, in general, are having to make a comeback and the Majestic Theatre, unfortunately, was not one of the survivors of the pandemic, which has presented as a huge disappointment to the valley.

Alas, all is not lost! About an hour away from Gunnison, in the quaint town of Lake City, one movie theater has managed to pull through and reopen its doors to members of the valley! The Mountaineer Theatre is “a small town theatre with big city films,” offering new movies weekly, except for major blockbuster films, which are switched out every couple of weeks.

Constructed in 1975, the Mountaineer Theatre has been serving the community of Lake City for almost 46 years. Officially opening its doors in September of that year, Young Frankenstein was the very first movie to be featured on its single screen.

Phillip and Carolyn Virden, and their daughters Lily and Dasha, have owned and managed the theater since the 1990s. In a recent interview with Phillip, he explained that much of the decor found inside this family-owned movie theater stems from the original Mountaineer Theatre, which was located in Gunnison before it was moved to Lake City. Gather up the family and take a cruise to Lake City to check out this historical theater and “experience the mountaineer magic” today!

To view upcoming movies or learn more about the Mountaineer Theatre in Lake City, visit www.mountaineertheatre.com!