Songwriter concert brings the future of live events to the Roxy Theater in Shelby

SHELBY — The historic Roxy Theater in Shelby was filled with the sounds of live music this weekend as it partnered with the Whitefish Songwriter Festival for a special fundraiser aimed at helping secure the theater's future.

(WATCH: Songwriter concert brings future of live events to the Roxy Theater in Shelby)

For two days, singer-songwriters took the stage, giving audiences an intimate concert experience while raising money to build a permanent stage inside the recently renovated theater.

"It's basically an experience more than a concert," said Whitefish Songwriter Festival Board Member Cari Klepper.

But organizers say the event was about much more than music.

"We're here to raise money so that they can have a stage and we can bring more and more of the arts into the theater than just movies," Klepper said.

The Roxy Theater has been a staple in Shelby for nearly a century. According to Roxy Theater Board Member Jeanne McDonough, the theater first opened around 1932 and quickly became a gathering place for the community.

"It has an incredible history," McDonough said. "What a big deal it was to people back in the day."

That history was nearly lost when the theater closed its doors for six years.

"It just devastated everybody in town," McDonough said. "These small towns, we have to work so hard to keep our main streets going and keep everything going."

Determined to bring the theater back to life, community members formed a board and spent nearly two years writing grants and raising money to restore the building.

"We formed a board. We got together and spent a good almost two years now of nonstop grant writing and all of that to completely refurbish the theater," McDonough said.

The theater reopened last May, and organizers are already looking ahead to the next phase of the project: creating a permanent stage that can host concerts, performances and other live events.

"We wanted to not just bring the movies back. We want to build this stage and bring way more live music and live events," McDonough said.

Board member Melissa Flesch said building that stage will take significant community support.

"It's very costly to build a new stage, and so that's why this event is to help raise money for that and bring awareness to our community and surrounding communities that this is our goal," Flesch said.

For organizers, the songwriter festival also served as an opportunity to showcase what the newly renovated theater can become.

"We want to promote the theater because the theater's newly renovated, and we are here to show that they can not only do movies, but we can do live shows here, live music," Klepper said.

As the final notes echoed through the theater this weekend, organizers said they hope it marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Roxy, one where movies, music and community events can continue creating memories for generations to come.

"Some of the best childhood memories are formed here," said Whitefish Songwriter Festival Board Member Bridget Larson. "And we want the forthcoming generations to have those same type of memories."