By Ryan Duey

Republic County Commissioners reinstated its funding for Belleville’s Historic Blair Theatre after pulling their commitment last month.

The County pulled its $5,000 annual funding after the Theatre reported it would not be showing movies regularly anymore. Board Members for the Theatre asked the Commissioners to reconsider stating the Theatre was not closing, but is currently going through changes. They said that not many movies have been played due to the Writers and Actors Strikes also.

The Blair Theater was originally built on Christmas Eve of 1928. It had closed its doors in the late 1990s until a group of citizens were able to gather donations to have it renovated and reopened. It reopened in 2008 with state-of-the-art movie equipment.

Along with Republic County, the City of Belleville also pledges a $5,000 annual donation to the Theatre. Currently, movies are only shown with sponsorship from an individual or organization.