ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, July 9, 1996                  TAG: 9607090042
SECTION: CURRENT                  PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG

LYRIC REVIVAL WINS $4,000 STATE GRANT

The Lyric Theater received a $4,000 grant recently from the state Commission for the Arts to fund operations and renovations at the movie house in downtown Blacksburg.

Blacksburg provided $5,000 in matching funds from its annual budget.

The Lyric, which closed in 1989, is undergoing a revitalization. The Lyric Council, a nonprofit organization formed by local residents and business people, reopened the theater in early December for regular weekend movie screenings and community events. The reopening followed a year of planning and light renovation work.

The Lyric Council also began a major fund-raising drive so major renovations on the more than 65-year-old theater can be made by late 1997.

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