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(NewsDakota.com) The campaign to save the lone theatre in Oakes hit another milestone on Monday, as enough money has now been raised to purchase the equipment. 

The Grand Theatre has been in need of a complete overhaul and upgrade of equipment in order to show films, as most of Hollywood has moved past the era of releasing films on 35 millimeter film. Some current films have been shown, however the selection continues to dry up, and the theatre would have to close down by the fall of 2013 if new equipment was not implemented.

After having an initial price tag around $90,000, the cost of the equipment was lowered recently to the $70,000 range. On Monday, it was announced the money raised has now exceeded the $80,000 mark. 

Within the last few weeks, the money has really come in, with just over $23,000 raised via a Boy Scouts event and a Pork Feed and Raffle, with a dollar for dollar match from Oakes Enhancement.

Organizers note there still needs to be a few more thousand dollars raised in order to modernize the theatre such things as heating and air conditioning.