I was driving through Watertown on my way home last night when I noticed that the sign in front of Country Cinema was lit up with the message of "Closed til Spring 2020 for Renovations, The Watertown Stage." I pulled over and snapped the pic you see above, then I pulled a little closer and took this one too:

Large "Love Thai Bowl" Dave
Large "Love Thai Bowl" Dave
loading...

I called Country Cinemas number to see if I could ask a couple of questions, and the answering machine picked up, here's a transcript of the message:

THANK YOU FOR CALLING THE WATERTOWN STAGE, WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE NEXT 4 TO 6 MONTHS FOR OUR RENOVATIONS.  PLEASE WATCH OUR WEBSITE AT THE WATERTOWN STAGE DOT COM FOR FUTURE ANNOUNCEMENTS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ONCE WE’RE OPEN. THANKS FOR CALLING US.

The website thanks you for your interest, and the new owners pledge to honor the traditions of the classic theater, but to bring more to the arts and entertainment scene in Watertown. They tease classic films, spoken word, live talks, and more.

I was very sad when the former owner of the cinema was killed in a hit and run in January of 2018. I was surprised to see the place continue to operate, it sucks having to drive all the way to Southbury or into Waterbury to see a flick, I loved the simplicity of this theater.

Listen to the Home of Rock 'N' Roll i95 at 95.1 WRKI-FM. Stream us live through the i95 Rock mobile app, your Alexa-enabled device, Google Home or right here on the website

Connect with i95 on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and our mobile app

More From WRKI and WINE