Firefighters on July 21 did an awesome job saving the Thunder Bay Theatre from being destroyed by the blaze that leveled the adjacent John A. Lau Saloon.

But their valiance couldn’t stop the blaze from causing severe collateral damage to the theater.

As News Lifestyles editor Darby Hinkley showed us last weekend in a series of devastating photos and descriptions, smoke, water, and extreme heat caused severe damage to the newly remodeled lobby, upstairs apartments, and stage of the city’s year-round, professional theater.

“Before the fire, we already knew we needed a new roof,” Artistic Director Lucas Moquin told Hinkley. “But, the thing is, you can’t replace or fix the roof — you certainly can’t replace it — without fixing the masonry, and, once you do that, you have to replace all the windows and the doors and adjust all the floors and everything. So the building is going to have to be rebuilt, basically.”

This community already has come to the aid of Jon Benson, owner of the John A. Lau, and we are sure it will do the same for the Thunder Bay Theatre, one of this city’s brightest gems.

Moquin said insurance adjusters are still determining how much of the damage to the theater will be covered and how much of the renovation might need to come out of the theater’s pockets.

When they know, we urge all of our readers to reach into their own pockets to help the Thunder Bay Theatre be reborn.

(THE ALPENA NEWS)