President Greg Laemmle, left, applauds with dignitaries and the Santa Clarita City Council as they cut the ribbon for the Laemmle Theaters 6 in Newhall on Friday, 040921. Dan Watson/The Signal
Laemmle Officially Opens in Old Town Newhall
Uploaded: , Friday, Apr 9, 2021
By Kev Kurdoghlian
Nearly 100 people gathered in front of the highly anticipated Laemmle 7 in Newhall to officially open the theater to the Santa Clarita Valley community. Guests were welcomed by the sight of a table filled with theater popcorn, fountain drinks and water placed near a large red bow and ribbon waiting to be cut.
Mayor Bill Miranda was the master of ceremonies for the ribbon cutting event Friday attended by community members, members of the Laemmle family, the Santa Clarita City Council, Sen. Scott Wilk, Rep. Mike Garcia, sheriff’s officials and representatives for Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Assemblywoman Suzette Valladares and Assemblyman Tom Lackey.
Cassie Gratton knows how to open a Laemmle theater. The general manager of the Newhall Laemmle, which will open its doors with a ribbon-cutting this Friday, also helped to open Laemmle’s Glendale and Claremont locations.
“I feel pretty privileged that they asked me to open this theater,” said Gratton, a 20-year Laemmle employee who worked her way up the ranks of the family-owned theater group.
When The Signal met Gratton on Wednesday for an early look at the new, spacious theater, she was training her new team.
“I don’t have another theater to train my staff,” Gratton said of her team, which started preparing for Friday’s grand opening Monday. Before the pandemic closed theaters, staff would receive training in an open theater.
LA County has officially moved out of California’s most restrictive purple tier and into the red tier. The shift means movie theaters, gyms, museums, and restaurants can resume indoor operations in limited capacities.
LA County has officially moved out of California’s most restrictive purple tier and into the red tier. The shift means movie theaters, gyms, museums, and restaurants can resume indoor operations in limited capacities.