Group Hopeful Killers of the Flower Moon Will Help Efforts To Save The Tall Chief Theater

People have been working for decades to restore the Tall Chief Theater in Fairfax.

But, to just fix the roof of the building, they need $100,000, and they are only halfway there. 

With the release of the Killers of the Flower Moon, organizers are hopeful the attention on Fairfax will help with fundraising. 

Alex Tallchief built the theater, and it opened in 1928. Alex's daughter Maria Tallchief went on to become America's first prima ballerina. 

Carol Conner is the editor of the Fairfax Chief and is helping raise money to save the theater. 

She says the theater closed in the 60s. Over the years, people have tried to restore it, but after making progress in 2018, a tornado blew a hole in the roof. 

"So, we have a natural skylight over the stage, which allows in rain and all sorts of things," she said. 

Carol says as more people come to town because of the Killers of the Flower Moon movie, she hopes they'll take notice of the theater. 

It caught the attention of the movie's leading star, Lily Gladstone, just this week when she shared about saving the theater on social media. 

"Because she grew up on a reservation too, I think Lily grasps how difficult it is, to take a small community and make things work," Carol said. 

She says the Tall Chief Theater is part of Fairfax's history, but hopes it will also be part of the future. 

"It's a story of both tragedy and of triumph, and a part of what we want to do here is to say that," Carol said. 

The Fairfax Community Foundation is also offering Killers of the Flower Moon tours. All proceeds will go toward saving the theater. For more information, click here.