WHEATLAND – The renovations are almost complete. The opening movie has been selected. The popcorn is finally perfect. Cinema West, located at the corner of Gilchrest and 10th Streets, will be reopened and ready for business April 22.
Cinema West is under the operation of Curtis Hofrock and Heather Ferguson. The pair have been the theater’s leaseholders since March 1 of this year. The motivation for rebuilding theater was a desire to provide something else to do for the town’s youth.
“There’s not a lot to do in the town for kids,” said Ferguson. “To me, they just needed a place to go. They needed a place to hang out. They needed a place where they had someone to talk to if they needed to, or something to let go their stress.”
“We both grew up here in Wheatland and this theater was a big part of our lives when we were kids growing up,” said Hofrock. “And so to see it sitting empty and not having movies playing was something that we wanted to make sure changed.”
Cinema West originally closed because the previous owner was tired and needed a rest from running the business for health reasons. Ferguson has been working on repairs since the building since then.
As the leaseholders, Hofrock and Ferguson are responsible to the Wheatland Town Council. Working with the council has been a positive though challenging experience.
