Read more: Local, Community, Entertainment, Ontonagon Theater, Christmas Concert, Ontonagon Concert, Jim Jessup, Mike Urbis, Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital, Aspirus Hospital, Charity Concert
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ONTONAGON -- The jewel of the community. That's what Ontonagon residents affectionately call the Ontonagon Theater.
Each year volunteers work together to put on a Christmas concert to raise money for the theater and the community.
Mike Urbis has been in the concert since it first started five years ago.
"Well, it's a great cause, and I just love the Christmas season," said Urbis.
The theater was built in the 1920s. Since 1997, it has been undergoing a restoration process, but the theater's upkeep is dependent on donations.
One of the many ways the community supports the theater is by giving a donation for a plaque on the back of a chair. The plaques go toward any renovations the theater needs throughout the year.
Jim Jessup has been the director of the Christmas concert from the start. He says since the restoration process began, the theater has chosen one project each year to restore.
"It means getting the community together," said Jessup. "We fill the theater to capacity every year we've done it. People just love it. It's a great way to get in the Christmas spirit and it's a great way to give back to the community, and that's what we're all about."
But not every dollar the theater makes stays within the theater. The Christmas concert has been raising money for the past four years to give to Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital.
"Everybody here is volunteering their time and talents to give back to the community, give back to the hospital, and just have a good time,” Jessup said.
The Christmas concert will be this Friday, December 14. Tickets for adults are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.
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