How the Historic Lincoln Theatre Fuels Marion's Growth and Tourism

What Impact Does The Lincoln Theatre Have On Economic Development In Marion, VA?

The Lincoln Theatre doesn't merely preserve history—it actively shapes the economic future of Marion, Virginia. With nearly 18,000 visitors annually traveling specifically for performances, this majestic Mayan revival venue has transformed from a cultural landmark into a powerful economic catalyst.

Executive Director Bob Watkins reveals the fascinating dynamics behind the theatre's impact. "We do a significant amount of work to recruit people from outside the area," Watkins explains, describing how visitors from multiple states often extend their trips, creating weekend experiences that benefit local restaurants, shops, and accommodations. This influx of tourism dollars provides critical support for small businesses facing substantial operating costs in a rural economy.

What draws these visitors? The theatre's diverse programming creates broad appeal. From sellout cultural events like their Celtic Christmas (attracting 60% out-of-town attendance) to tribute performances like Seven Bridges, an Eagles tribute band that brought fans from as far as New Jersey, the Lincoln strategically develops shows with regional drawing power. The venue also coordinates programming with local events like cruise-ins and the popular Back of the Dragon driving route, creating comprehensive visitor experiences through partnerships with town government, county tourism, and downtown development initiatives.

To learn more about The Lincoln Theatre visit:
https://www.TheLincoln.org/
The Lincoln Theatre
117 E. Main Street
Marion, Virginia 24354
276-783-6092

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to On Stage with the Lincoln Theatre, where
history and entertainment stealthe show Dive into the rich
legacy of this iconic Mayanrevival theatre, from its 1929
debut to its starring role inMarion, Virginia's entertainment
scene.
Guiding us through this journeyis the man in the spotlight,
our executive director, BobWatkins.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
The Lincoln Theater isn't just a stage.
It's an economic powerhouse forMarion Virginia.
From bringing in tourismdollars to supporting local
businesses, this historic venueplays a major role in the
community's growth.
Executive director Bob Watkinsexplains how the theater's
revival is helping Marion shine.
Welcome back everyone.
Skip Mauney, co-host slashproducer, back in the studio

(00:45):
with Executive Director BobWatkins.
Bob, how's it going today?
It's going good, skip.
How are you doing today?
Doing just fine, doing justfine and excited to be back in
the studio with you, with theLincoln Theater and fantastic
Executive Director Bob Watkins,so super excited let's not go
too far.
So, Bob, what impact does theLincoln Theater have on economic

(01:07):
development there in Marion,Virginia and the surrounding
area?

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Well, Skip, we do a significant amount of work to
try to recruit people to come toour performances from outside
the area, as well as recruitlocal individuals to come see
our shows and performances.
But usually what happens iswe'll go ahead and submit our
marketing material out allacross like three or four
different states around our areaand usually what happens is

(01:35):
people will come in and theymake a weekend out of their
events.
So they'll either come in a dayearly or stay a day later just
to take a look around the sites,visit Hungry Mother, visit a
lot of the downtown restaurantsand shops and things like that.
So we work very closely withthe town and county on just
trying to market to peopleoutside of the area to help
support some of our localbusinesses, because you know

(01:57):
Marion is a small community butat the same time our community
residents do a lot to helpsupport our town and the
different shops.
With the extreme costs ofexpenses for some of our local
businesses that's notnecessarily enough all the time.
So we generally do recruit alot of people from outside the
area and always looking at ournumbers to see what we're

(02:20):
pulling in, and year after yearwe tend to increase the number
of people that we bring into thearea and this past year we were
just a little bit shy of 18,000visitors here to Smith County
that came specifically for aperformance here at the theater.
So we definitely do a lot ofwork, teaming up with the town

(02:41):
and county to generate thosenumbers to bring in some good
visitors to share some of theirfunds and finances here with our
community too.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
So it's a great partnership, absolutely Well
have you noticed in thedifferent types of I know you do
live performances, you're doingthe films, concerts any
particular performance bringmore people in than that you've
noticed.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
You know it's very odd because sometimes we see a
huge increase of people comingfrom outside the area.
Sometimes we see a lot more ofour local community members that
say you know what?
I'm going to go down to thetheater and take a look at this
performance.
We did have a Celtic Christmasperformance that brought in a
large number of people.
That was a sellout crowd, so wehad about 500 people here.
It broke down to about 60% ofthose were from outside of the

(03:33):
area.
A lot of cultural programs likethat tend to get a large number
of people traveling into thearea.
And then also, if we have largeperformance tribute
performances, that largeperformance tribute performances
that are really strong tributeperformances that tend to bring
in a lot of people from outsidethe area.
We had a New Year's Eve Partywith a Eagles tribute band to

(03:55):
Seven Bridges and it broughtpeople from all over.
We had people travel in hereand they told us that it was
their second time coming to theLincoln Theatre Just to see
Seven Bridges and they traveledall the way from New Jersey.
So we're definitely bringingpeople from outside the area
with a lot of the differentperformances and there's not one
Specific that we see morepeople coming from, but it all

(04:17):
works together Wow.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
New Jersey.
That's a cruise man, that's acruise yeah.
So do you have any partnershipsor collaborations in Marion or
in Smith County that helpstrengthen the theater's role in
community development?

Speaker 3 (04:33):
Well, the town, definitely downtown with Ken
Heath has a very strong programto try to increase the economic
development here in ourcommunity.
So we work very closely withtheir programs and events.
They do a cruise in, they dothe people with the back of the
dragon here that feeds rightinto Hungry Mother and Marion.

(04:56):
We kind of work with them.
So when they're having thosecruise-ins and Back of the
Dragon drives then we try toalso have another event that's
going to just be another programfor them to go ahead and do
while they're here in the area.
But, yeah, the town, the county,Amanda Livingston at Smith
County Tourism she does a lot totry to get our name out to

(05:17):
people all over Virginia andoutside of the area.
So yeah, there's a very strongcohesive group here in Marion
and Smith County that's workingto definitely bring people here
to the area and visit it and seeeverything that we have to
offer.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Awesome.
So can we officially call itthe Lincoln Theater, the
heartbeat of downtown Marion, ordo we need a town hall there?

Speaker 3 (05:37):
I think we can go ahead and call it as it is.
Yeah, I think this town goes aswe do for sure, because we're
kind of like a glue system withall the other businesses and
everybody here all workingtogether to really help improve
our town and get people here tosee what we have to enjoy here
every day.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Very good, Love it.
Bob.
Appreciate your time today andKate's time with us as well, and
in our previous episode.
We'll catch you in the nextepisode.
We'll catch you in the nextepisode.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
Sounds good, skip, thanks a lot.
Have a great day.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Thanks for tuning in to On Stage with the Lincoln
Theater.
Want more of Mary andVirginia's entertainment scene?
Visit us online atthelincolnorg yes, that's
thelincolnorg or drop by ourtheater at 117 East Main Street.
Let's keep the arts alive andkicking together.