Golden Belt Cinema 6 Scheduled to Open Spring 2013

This is an artist's rendition of what the new Golden Belt Cinema 6 will look like once completed in the Spring of 2013.

Squeaky seats, sticky floors, and old technology are long gone at the Village Cinemas on west 10th Street, thanks to the Golden Belt Entertainment Group, LLC, founded by partners Chad Somers and Dennis Call.  The partners purchased the Village Cinemas in June 2010 and executed some pretty major renovations in a matter of a few months. But now, the partners realize that the need for more screens is apparent, and their dreams of expanding the business will be coming true sooner than later.

"Our community deserves the best, and that's what we plan to give them," says managing partner Chad Somers. "We want to provide a dynamic movie-going experience which would rival that of larger market theaters in a facility this community can be proud of."

The new movie theater complex will be located where the present Bank of the West building sits between 12th & Lakin on Kansas Avenue in downtown Great Bend. The first phase of this project will be to build a new Bank of the West building at the corner of the property. Then the bank will move to their new building so that demolition and construction can begin on the theater building.

Golden Belt Entertainment Group, LLC recently announced their plans to build a new state-of-the-art facility in downtown Great Bend that will accomodate six theaters instead of three. This set of plans has been in the works since the Village Cinemas were acquired last summer. At the press conference in July of 2010, Somers said, "Additional screen capacity is necessary if we want to be able to show first-run movies as they are released, while still having the flexibility to hold-over box office hits."

Once completed, the new six-screen theater will also be able to host alternate events, such as live concerts or large presentations. "This project has been a long-time goal of the City of Great Bend and the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development," says Chamber President/CEO Jan Peters. "Having a state-of-the-art movie theater will help us improve our quality of life, which is key in recruiting and retaining young professionals."

The new Bank of the West building will be located just south of where it currently resides, at the southeast corner of 12th & Kansas in Great Bend.

The new facility will be located on Kansas Street between Lakin & 12th Street. Currently, the Bank of the West building occupies this space, but the theater's new plans will include building a new, smaller bank building for the financial instituation to occupy so that the new theater complex can be built where the current building sits.

Other entities may also benefit from the revitalization of the community movie theater as well, says Somers. "If more people stay in town for the evening instead of driving out of town, restaurants and other local businesses will benefit from the improved theater.  I am looking forward to working with the City of Great Bend and other local officials in seeking support for what will be a terrific addition to our community and its quality of life."

For more information about Golden Belt Entertainment or to see showtimes for current movies at the Village Cinemas on West 10th Street in Great Bend, visit their website at www.villagecinemas3.com.