The Holly Theater in Dahlonega
Dahlonega Gem: The Holly Theater, which opened in 1948, was revived 30 years ago and is thriving today. Photo credit: contributed.
The historic Holly Theater opened its doors in Dahlonega in 1948, not long after the end of World War II, so many Appalachian people whiled away afternoons watching flicks there.
After it fell into disrepair, some of those same people came together in a spirit of sentimentality around 30 years ago to restore it. It since has proved to be a great business move for Lumpkin County.
“There was a movement to revive the downtown, and everybody said it was a shame about the movie theater,” says Hal Williams, a founder of its current iteration. “Well, we got about a dozen people to come together on the spur of the moment and did all the renovations ourselves.”
The result? A jewel-box venue with great acoustics and nary a bad perch in the house. (No seat is more than 70 feet from the action on screen.) A nexus of the arts in North Georgia, it has served 17,000 patrons in the past year, with an army of some 200 volunteers, including the actors in the productions. The Holly features five main-stage productions per season – a mix of musicals, comedy and drama – and at least 11 concerts a year, as well as productions from its children’s theater camp.
“Everyone who comes in the door at the Holly has a purpose,” says General Manager Sarah Christopher. “We use people from ages 6 to 80. I’ve never worked in a community that has more passion for the arts than here.”
The children’s camp also offers eight scholarships – some of them financed by a partnership with the Community Helping Place. “We try to keep everything affordable for families,” Christopher says, “and we try to offer something for everybody.” 
