“We’re doing a deep cleaning today,” said Lori Jewell the theater’s executive director.

She has a seventeen-item list that includes everything from touchup painting, cleaning the lighting gear, polishing all the woodwork, to washing windows, which she hopes they can complete.

“The building was built in 1938, and we’d like to be good stewards of the infrastructure that exists,” said Jewell. “I have a history with this building, it was my junior high and my dad’s high school.”

Lisa Besemer, president of the theater’s board, also has history with the building. “I used to run laps for gym class up here,” she says of the balcony. “There used to not be rails there, and your legs would get wobbly.”

Tom Kaehler (left), Trey Perez (center), and Jesse Jewell (right), cleaning the lights for the State Street Theater.

Now her grandchildren, Odin Carlson and Emma Carlson, run back and forth with rags polishing the rails. Besemer sees Spruce Up event as time for family bonding.

“It helps the kids learn to give back. Emma Carlson was putting stickers on chairs that needed upholstery cleaning and Odin Carlson was wiping arm rests,” said Besemer.

“My favorite part was taping the seats and doughnuts. I ate my whole doughnut,” said Odin Carlson.

The next volunteering event for the State Street Theater is a volunteer appreciation dinner at 5 pm to 6:30pm on Tuesday Jan. 21. Anyone can come and have a free dinner while learning about how they can help with the theater. More information can be found at info@statestreetnewulm.org or by calling 507-359-9990.

“I’ve been doing this for four years. said Besemer. “It’s fun.”

Trey Perez cleaning the lights for the State Street Theater.

Odin Carlson wiping the rails for the State Street Theater alongside his sister Emma and grandmother Lisa Besmer.