New Moon Theater – Neligh

The New Moon Theater stands at 317 Main Street in Neligh and is not open, but it is one of the reasons to slow down as you pass through. The original Moon Theater burned, and owner Walter Bradley rebuilt it in 1944 to a design by Henry A. Raapke, who put in wheelchair access and crying rooms for mothers with small children, both unusual for a small-town cinema of that date. The Bradley family sold it in the 1970s, a succession of owners ran it, and it closed in 2014. When demolition was threatened around 2016 the town raised fifty thousand dollars and the New Moon Community Theater, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit led by city council member Stephanie Lundgren, bought it in 2018. A new roof went on in late 2019 at a cost of about $140,000, volunteers stripped and a mason rebuilt the facade from 2020, and the interior demolition that began in March 2026 is largely done. What remains is a full interior fit-out, put at roughly two million dollars: widened aisles, sprinklers, bathrooms, a bigger concession stand, and ADA and fire code compliance. Grant decisions are expected during 2026. Donations and volunteers are both wanted, through the theater's website.