The Capitol Theatre's long-awaited 100th anniversary celebration is finally on the way.
With support from the Government of Canada, the City of Windsor will be presenting the Capitol Legacy Celebration as part of Family Day weekend this year.
The event, held on February 18, is in partnership with Capitol Theatre, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Windsor International Film Festival, WindsorEssex Community Foundation, and Museum Windsor.
The day will be filled with numerous celebration programs such as Downtown Windsor Heritage Walking Tours, artist showcase, Capitol Theatre tours, among many others.
Speaking on AM800's The Morning Drive, Sheila Wisdom, Executive Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, says it will be a big birthday party.
"It absolutely is a gem. And, full disclosure telling your age, the Capitol Theatre is actually 102. Our anniversary was smack dab in the middle of COVID, and so we're taking this opportunity to celebrate all kinds of improvements that have been made, and also to have a big birthday party all day, and invite the community to come."
She says the start of the festivities will feature a concert, live entertainment and film.
"It's going to be absolutely wonderful. We start off in the morning with a family concert with the WSO. There's actually an admission charge to that, $5 a ticket. But then starting at 1 p.m. we're going to have the official opening. In keeping with the tradition of the Capitol, we have both live entertainment and film at the Capitol."
She says the afternoon will have an artist showcase, and a screening of a popular film.
"At 2 o'clock we have an artist showcase featuring a lot of local groups that perform at the Capitol, Windsor Dance Experience, 4th Wall and others. And at 4:30 we have the first of two screenings of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. And that film originally aired in 1937 at the Capitol Theatre."
The celebration events will be held on Saturday, February 18 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre located at 121 University Avenue West.
This celebration was made possible in part by the Government of Canada's funding of $500,000 through the Legacy Fund component of the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The City of Windsor added $1.8-million to bring the total investment to $2.3-million in the historic theatre in downtown Windsor.
For more information on events and times, visit the Capitol Theatre Windsor website.