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Nonprofit raising money to revamp historic theater in downtown Kinston

PRE News & Ideas | By Ryan Shaffer
Published June 12, 2023 at 10:00 AM EDT
The smART Kinston City Project Foundation
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The Paramount Project
A Kinston nonprofit is beginning to renovate the historic Paramount Theatre in the city's downtown.

A Kinston nonprofit is beginning to renovate the historic Paramount Theatre in the city's downtown.

The Smart Kinston Project Foundation is raising $500,000 so the Paramount Theatre on Queen Street can once again host movies, stage productions, and events.

The planned renovations are part of an effort to revitalize downtown.

The theatre first opened in 1915 as the Grand Theatre hosting vaudeville acts. Over its century long life, the building has served as a movie theater, a broadcast location for a Kinston TV station, and as a night club.
Ryan Shaffer
Ryan is an Arkansas native and podcast junkie. He was first introduced to public radio during an internship with his hometown NPR station, KUAF. Ryan is a graduate of Tufts University in Somerville, Mass., where he studied political science and led the Tufts Daily, the nation’s smallest independent daily college newspaper. In his spare time, Ryan likes to embroider, attend musicals, and spend time with his fiancée.
See stories by Ryan Shaffer