Although they are located in different counties, Bellingham’s Mount Baker Theatre (MBT) and Mount Vernon’s Lincoln Theatre have a whole lot of things in common.
To begin with, both buildings were built in the 1920s — the Lincoln in 1926 and the MBT in 1927 — and each started their lives as vaudeville silent movie houses before eventually transitioning into performing arts centers showcasing everything from live music to comedy, theatrical offerings, author readings and far beyond.
But the similarities don’t stop there. The buildings are both on the National Register of Historic Places; they were each designed with a Spanish motif; have rumored ghosts in their hallowed halls; and contain Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organs that are still played today.
The Wurlitzer will be put to good use at a grand reopening celebration and 96th-anniversary event beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23 at the Lincoln Theatre. Musician Harvey Rossiter will command the keys during a silent film screening of Buster Keaton’s “Sherlock Jr.” A 35 cent admission price — which is what people would’ve paid for a ticket in 1926 — will get patrons in the door of the theater, located at 712 S. First St.
The comedy focuses on a movie projectionist (Keaton) who longs to be a detective but is instead framed for a crime when his fiancee is robbed. After using his amateur sleuthing skills to tail the real thief, he ends up locked in a train car before returning to the movie theater, where he falls asleep and dreams he is the great Sherlock Holmes. Following the show, patrons are invited to stick around for birthday cake and refreshments.
Emmy- and Tony-award-winning actress and musician Kristin Chenoweth brings her “For the Girls” tour to Bellingham for a Saturday, April 23 performance at the Mount Baker Theatre. The event is part of the venue’s 95th anniversary celebration. (Photo courtesy of Mount Baker Theatre)
Instead of going back to the 1920s for its own anniversary celebration, the Mount Baker Theatre, 104 N. Commercial St., will mark its 95th birthday that same night with a performance by Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth. The “For the Girls” show is titled after Chenoweth’s latest album, which pays tribute to iconic artists like Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Leslie Gore, Dinah Washington, Dolly Parton, Ariana Grande and Reba McEntire. The musical revue-style concert celebrates the music of the female entertainers, and fans of Chenoweth should expect her hubris and humor to shine through.
Tickets to see “For the Girls” start at $65 and top out at $140, but considering Chenoweth is a seasoned performer who has sold out shows around the world and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the price tag is worth it.
If spending an afternoon laughing with Buster Keaton’s antics or an evening singing along with Kristin Chenoweth does not appeal, consider making tax-deductible birthday donations to the Lincoln Theatre or the Mount Baker Theatre.
The venues have spent nearly a century making sure their communities have a place for big-name stars and local talent to shine. They’ve undergone countless renovations, hosted capital campaigns, relied on community volunteers to help carry out their mission statements, and have kept their ghost lights burning even during pandemic-related shutdowns. Most importantly, they’re both still here.
For more details about the April 23 anniversary events at the Lincoln Theatre and the MBT, go to lincolntheatre.org or mountbakertheatre.com.
