The Grand Opera House: Stories from Spencer's first theatre with Evan Hilsabeck

Name: The Grand Opera House: Stories from Spencer's first theatre with Evan Hilsabeck
Start: 2026-01-09T19:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-01-09T20:00:00-06:00
Location: 7 Grand Ave, Spencer, IA, United States, Iowa 51301

Schedule

Fri Jan 09 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

7 Grand Ave, Spencer, IA, United States, Iowa 51301 | Spencer, IA

Join us in the Clay County Heritage Center as we take a trip back to the early 20th century and explore a former Spencer landmark! The Grand Opera House dominated downtown and shaped the social life of the city. Touring actors, vaudeville entertainers, preachers, teachers, and circus clowns all took the stage. Beautifully decorated, with seating for nearly 800, the Grand Opera House was the finest theatre in Northwest Iowa until the Spencer fire of 1931.
We’ll trace the story of the Opera House, meet the interesting characters who worked and performed there, and take a trip or two back in time to visit some of Spencer’s most exciting opening nights. This lecture is presented by Evan Hilsabeck, past Managing Director of Spencer Community Theatre.