Photos: Minnesota theater marquees shine with lights, neon, action

In towns large and small across Minnesota the bright, ornate marquees of historic theaters still beckon passersby to purchase tickets for a movie, concert or play on a Friday or Saturday night.

There aren’t as many of those old theaters as there used to be. Among those that are left, weather and the passage of time have taken a toll on their often-elaborate facades, to the point where some are no longer operational.

But those theaters that have managed to preserve their colorful marquees offer a link to the past, and to the thousands of people who have walked under those bright lights on their way to a night of entertainment.

Here are photos of a few of the theater marquees still illuminating the night across Minnesota. If you have photos of a favorite Minnesota theater at night that’s not included here, feel free to send them to akrueger@mpr.org, for possible use in a follow-up post.

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