(KNZA)--The final stretch is reached in the long running effort to remodel Hiawatha's downtown Arrow Twin Theater. “It's kind of overwhelming, the amount that we've accomplished in the last three months or so, Ian Schuetz tells MSC News. He's the Chairman of the Hiawatha ACES, the organization who took on the challenge of seeing the theater remodeled, and reopened, after a past ballot initiative to make the theater city owned failed.

Scheutz says it's been the hard work of volunteers, and contributions from the community, that have made the transformation of the theater a reality. “We've had workday on a lot of Saturdays this fall. I've honestly been overwhelmed by the amount of support and time that members of our community have put in.”  

As it stands, the opening date of the Arrow Twin hinges on awaited word from the overseers of what Schuetz will only identify as a widely anticipated holiday season film opening. “The tentative date at this point is the 18th of December. That coincides with the opening of a very anticipated release. I don't want to say what, it's not too hard to figure out. It's still tentative because we're waiting on the studio to approve our application. The application process to each of the studios, there's around a dozen of them, is very involved.”

A finalized, firm date, will be announced once it's in place. 

A new sound system, new screens, new seats, handicapped accessibility, digital projection, and new management, are all part of the renovated theater. “I'm really ready to visit the theater as a customer instead of as a worker,” Schuetz says, adding that ACES will continue oversight of the building into the future.