The Bijou Theatre is getting a big, bright gift for its 100th birthday.
A "Light Up the Bijou" campaign is raising funds for a $75,000 reproduction marquee and vertical sign or "blade" for the 803 S. Gay St. exterior. They'll be turned on at a 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, kickoff to celebrate the Bijou's jubilee. The theater has a lineup of Jan. 28-30 entertainment to mark the landmark year.
Part of the "Light Up" campaign is the "buy a bulb" project. Theater supporters are asked to buy $25 bulbs for the blade sign. The sign includes 488 energy efficient LED bulbs. Donation information is www.knoxbijou.com.
Bijou Board President Larsen Jay said last week the "Light Up the Bijou" campaign has reached "75 to 85 percent of all our finances' goal" and he's encouraged that people will continue to donate to the campaign.
The new marquee and sign, as well as some exterior lighting and facade improvements, is a way to "help put a face on this historic place," said Jay, who is also president of the Knoxville-based DoubleJay Creative.
The theater built in 1909 once had a vertical sign and marquee. Early photos from the 1920s show both. The last marquee apparently was removed when the theater was saved from demolition and renovated in the 1970s. For decades the Bijou has had no sign or marquee.
"The Bijou has been the red-headed stepchild down the street," Jay said. "It's dark there. You barely know it is there as you pass. This will give it an identity as an entertainment venue and a face. It's an icon and it's really special."
For its next 100 years, the theater needs a financial endowment, Jay said. And it also needs "people who will attend shows, people to come and visit. It needs people who will support it financially. ... It needs community groups that need a performance space to come back to the Bijou and be reintroduced.
"It's in great shape and it's got a great foundation for what it can be," he said.
Amy McRary may be reached at 865-342-6437.
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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