Rex fundraiser fun for all

There was hootin' and hollerin' and celebratin' at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge last Saturday as the annual Spaghetti Western Fundraiser was held. The event raises funds for the Rex Theater in Thompson Falls. It also served as a birthday party for the local landmark, as the theater turns 85 this year.

Several of the more than 130 attendees put on their best western garb for the fundraiser, which features a live and silent auction, 50/50 raffle, and a gourmet spaghetti dinner sponsored by Rocky Mountain Accounting and Simple Simon's of Plains.

Amanda Moseley of Thompson Falls roamed the crowd selling small pumpkins knit in festive small colors by Thompson Falls resident Barb Normandin. Lisa Ruen had four dozen roses to sell to guests. For $25, people got a rose, plus a ticket for a chance to win a 9mm pistol.

Among the auction items was a stained glass window created by local artist Kathy Altman. The window was one of the original windows from the theater, and was sold in the live auction..

This was the second year for Rob Viens to organize the event, which is in its fourth year. Viens dubbed himself the "Head Wrangler" for the event. "I enjoyed pounding the street and getting to know the community," Viens said. He gathered donations from local businesses, and commented on the generosity shown to the Rex. "People were still dropping off auction items on Friday," he noted. Viens is the coordinator for the Clark Fork Valley Singers, which use the Rex as their home venue. He moved to Thompson Falls in 2022 and said that as a musician, he was drawn to the local venue.

Viens said that while final numbers were being tallied, the event raised more than $13,000. He said one of the most competitive items was a vintage guitar donated by Rob Lethrop. "People had a great time. One person said it was the best dinner ever. It was a great event," Viens added.

Eric Wilson with the Rex Theater said the big projects in 2024 were updating the heating and cooling system in the building, as well as remodeling the lobby. "The cooling system works so well that now some people come with a blanket in the summer," Rex volunteer Charlie Munday added with a smile.

Students from Explorations helped serve the meal of salad, rolls and spaghetti. There was also a birthday cake to celebrate the theater's 85th anniversary. Viens brought up the former Rex owners Doug and Karen Grimm, along with the Mundays and Wilsons, to sing happy birthday.

Thompson Falls resident Ruthy Cheney was at the fundraiser. "I love that it still looks like it used to, from the lights to the way the chairs feel," Cheney said of the theater. "It has helped us so much as a community. There are more things to go to." Cheney said it was fun to be at the fundraiser and be around people having fun and to see something good come of it. When she was growing up, movies were a quarter. She remembers being little and going to a movie that had an elephant and the elephant died and she cried. When the nonprofit that owns the theater was selling plaques to sponsor chairs, Cheney had hers read "Child of the Rex". "I grew up there," she said. "She's been one of our biggest supporters," Munday added.

Thompson Falls Film and Theater Foundation, a non-profit 501c3 organization, purchased the Rex Theater for the community in July of 2020. Along with playing new release movies, the Rex hosts live music and other community events. It is home to the Christmas on Main Street Afterparty, which will be Saturday, December 7, after the Christmas on Main Street parade. Munday said that the only major project left in the restoration is to remodel the green room behind the stage. "We dreamed we could get this far, but at times it became more of a nightmare and you just have to remember why you're doing it," Munday said of the theater project, which he called a passion project for the volunteers involved.

For more information on the Rex, go to http://www.rextheaterproject.org.