Celebrating a 'marquee event'

Officials from Journey Bank, the City of Williamsport and Pennsylvania College of Technology gathered on Friday to celebrate the renaming of the Journey Bank Community Arts Center and the installation of its new state-of-the-art digital marquee.

On July 1, the Arts Center, a subsidiary of Penn College, was christened the Journey Bank Community Arts Center. Lance O. Diehl, president/CEO for Journey Bank, expressed the importance of the cultural opportunities the Arts Center brings to the area and the bank’s desire to continue to improve those opportunities.

“This building, nearing its 100th anniversary, is a challenging labor of love to maintain, but it’s a rewarding challenge, and the community’s continued investment in it is meaningful,” said Jim Dougherty III, the center’s executive director. “We’re lifted up by partnerships like this one with Journey Bank, whose generosity has allowed us to add a 21st-century flair to our façade while still maintaining the building’s classic elegance.”

The new marquee features four digital LED sections, each of which can be programmed independently to feature different dynamic content. The vintage marquee it replaces was installed in 1993, when the former Capitol Theatre was renovated to become the Williamsport Community Arts Center.

During the 1993 renovation, the building’s marquee was expanded, with the western edge (overhanging the Arts Center’s pavilion) made to look like the body of a grand piano. That design was kept, and the LED screen on the western side curves slightly around the edge of the “piano.” Also retained were the classic-style chaser lights that are turned on for events, allowing a marriage of classical theatrical elements with state-of-the-art technology, Dougherty explained.

“We’re grateful for the partnership and 10-year commitment to help us continue to meet the Arts Center’s economic, cultural and community-focused mission,” said Penn College President Michael J. Reed. “This collaboration ensures that the curtain continues to rise, that aspiring artists like the gifted local students of the Uptown Music Collective, the Community Theatre League, and the incredibly talented performers of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, have a platform to grow, and that an appreciative audience of 70,000 patrons of all ages can experience the joy and wonder of live performance.”

The historic 2,100-seat facility at 220 W. Fourth St. has attracted 2 million patrons for high-quality professional performances by nearly 2,000 artists from around the world. Among the shows on tap for 2025-26 at the center are Master Chef All-Stars Live!, The Marshall Tucker Band, Kansas, comedian Lewis Black, Straight No Chaser, Chicago, Rodney Carrington, Blippi, Mannheim Steamroller and Foreigner.

“I’m pleased to say the future looks promising,” said Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter. “When the marquee is on, local restaurants and hotels thrive. And, the community is better because of it.”