The Rialto Theater on Main Street in Denison is open again, this time as a live music venue.
Owner Misty Chapman opened the doors Friday night with a country show, telling KTEN the night was "chaotic, a little bit crazy" but exciting once the venue's permit to open came through. The crowd included regulars from her former bar across the Red River in Tishomingo, and Saturday's lineup switched to 1980s arena rock with the band Bombshell making its first appearance there.
More shows are already on the calendar, including an open jam on Thursday, Oct. 8.
From Tishomingo to Main Street
Chapman and co-owner Tim Dighton ran the Rusty Chicken Saloon in Tishomingo before announcing in February that they would move it into the Rialto. Chapman told KTEN in September that the Oklahoma spot was a bar with a small stage in a corner, and that they wanted the reverse: a stage that hosted a bar.
They looked at buildings from McKinney to the Fort Worth Stockyards before settling on Denison.
The owners stripped the building down and rebuilt it. The saloon itself came along from Tishomingo and now sits on the balcony, and Chapman said each level of the theater has its own theme so that a large room still feels intimate.
In February, Chapman told KXII the couple hoped to book larger bands than Denison had seen before, along with ideas such as kids karaoke and family movie nights. The old theater seats were removed in favor of group seating areas.
