East Greenville's Grand Theater to celebrate 100th anniversary all weekend with classic films and gala

EAST GREENVILLE, Pa. — A historic theater on the edge of the Lehigh Valley is set to celebrate its centennial in style this weekend.

The Grand Theater in East Greenville, Montgomery County, will throw it back to the many decades it has been in operation.

The main celebration is on Friday, the date of the anniversary.

From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., music from the "Roarin' 20s" will be played by the Dolcetto Trio outside the marquee as part of First Friday, while an exhibit showcasing the past 100 years of the region by the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center will be displayed from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., the auditorium will feature a social gathering with music on the venue's historic 1923 organ prior to the silent feature film of 1923's "Three Ages" starring Buster Keaton.

A special throwback admission price will be 25 cents.

At 10 p.m., the original "Ghostbusters" from 1984 will be screened for $10 admission.

More celebration events

On Saturday, more organ music will be played from 12:30 to 1 p.m. prior to the free feature film "A Night to Remember" (1958).

Then on Sunday, the classic "Nosferatu" (1922) will be played at 1 p.m. with a live organ for $20 admission.

The theater also will hold screenings of the new biographical drama "Reagan" about the life of the 40th President of the United States throughout the weekend.

According to the theater's website, the building was opened Oct. 4, 1924, by Harvey Blank and Warren Fenstermacher.

It was designed and built by Souderton architect Jerome Landes, who also designed and built the Palace Theatre in Quakertown and the Broad Theatre in Souderton.

A restoration in 2004 brought the building back to its 1924 look and it has been used as a theater since.