Town-and-gown relationship makes movie dreams come true

The University of South Dakota (USD) recently helped open the curtain on a new movie theater in its hometown of Vermillion. The school worked with the Vermillion Downtown Cultural Association on the remodeling.

 
Kimberly Grieve, vice president of student services and dean of students at USD, said the state-of-the-art theater should be a boon to the downtown area.

“It will act as a mechanism to attract and retain students and high-quality staff, and will continue to improve our city’s fantastic town-and-gown relationship." she said.
 
The theater, the Coyote Twin, hosted an open house for the public to see improvements such as interior and exterior painting, concession stand upgrades and improved safety exits. The theater opening included a showing of “Keep on Keeping On,” presented by the National Music Museum.
 
“The opening of this auditorium – with stadium seating, new sound and projection, screen, lighting and egress – is a huge step forward for our community,” Jason Thiel, executive director of the cultural association, said. “Our community fundraising efforts, the generous donation and in-kind support from Masaba, and ongoing support from the Vermillion Chamber, Rotary, Community Foundation, Dakota Hospital Foundation, Sanford, First Bank and Trust, the University of South Dakota, and so many individual donors have made this major leap possible.”