The Gem Theatre Grand Reopening Celebration - October 24–26, 2025
Twenty years of dedication, vision, and hard work have brought us here—The Gem is shining once again! Join us for a weekend of celebration filled with gratitude, music, film, and community.
Friday, October 24 – Volunteer & Donor Night
This night is for the true heart of the Gem—our incredible volunteers and donors. Without you, there would be no Gem.
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7:00 p.m. – Reception in the Star Saloon. We’ll gather for one last “work party” photo on the grand staircase, complete with street tacos from Calvert’s Sugar Shack, a no-host wine bar featuring a local winery, and bottled water on us.
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7:30 p.m. – A very special facility dedication in the Gem. Enjoy a 20-minute documentary by Elsa Rogers, Gem volunteer since age twelve and now a U of O film student, showcasing the two-decade journey of restoration.
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8:00 p.m. – Live in concert: The Director’s Jazz Quartet, featuring our beautifully restored 1925 Knabe grand piano, dedicated to longtime teacher Althadel Beamer.
If you’ve drifted away, come home for this moment. It’s our “Field of Dreams”—not in corn, but in wheat. Overflow seating is available in the Star Saloon with live audio and video feed—yes, we’re jokingly calling it “Buffalo Wild Wings – Gem Edition.”
Saturday, October 25 – Community Night
Bluegrass with Jacie and the Nitpickers
🎟️ Tickets: $15 (includes popcorn)
Tickets are available online now—don’t wait, we expect a sellout!
Click Here to Buy Tickets
Sunday, October 26 – A Premiere 97 Years in the Making
The Premiere of City Girl
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2:00 p.m.
Shot in August 1928 at Thorn Hollow, just five miles from the Gem, F.W. Murnau’s City Girl is a timeless silent melodrama of wheat, love, and conflict. Though it was never shown here when the theatre was still the Standard—overshadowed by talkies and the Depression—we are proud to finally host its premiere.
This screening features a brand-new score by composer John F. Paul, performed live by members of the East Oregon Symphony.
🎟️ Tickets: $20 (includes popcorn)
Click Here to Buy Tickets
This program is underwritten in part by Oregon Film, the Oregon Film Trail, Umatilla County, and Wheatland Insurance. Seating is limited—buy your tickets now, this will sell out!
✨ Come celebrate with us as the Gem’s lights shine bright again. Twenty years in the making, and it’s just the beginning.
Athena’s Gem will be sponsoring a special screening of F.W. Murnau’s silent melodrama “City Girl” as a theatre renovation benefit this later this year. This film was shot in Athena during the 1928 wheat harvest using local mule teams and farm hands for the harvest scenes. The lead actress, Mary Duncan, was made an honorary member of the Pendleton Roundup Court while the local filming was still under way. The film never showed in either Athena or Pendleton. Tune back in for details as this benefit performance develops.
