COUNTY LIFE
Bringing a dream to life – Vision centers on creating a movie theater in an 1884 bank building
By BARBARA GREEN
Mark Chancellor, at the age of 30, calls himself an “old soul.”
His career as a lighting designer may have him on the cutting edge of music, but he wants to bring back a historic building back to life by creating a movie theater right in the heart of Montague.
This summer Chancellor bought the former First National Bank of Montague on the southwestern corner of the courthouse square in Montague. It was built in 1884.
After the bank closed, it was later home to Bell Phone, Carminati Grocery and Prime Cut Steakhouse. This dilapidated structure will demand a complete overhaul to fulfill this unique vision for its future.
The dreamer
Mark Chancellor grew up in the Alvord area with his parents Charles and Marsha Chancellor. His father was a Dallas firefighter, who when he retired became an electrician. He now resides in Bowie.
Mark’s parents divorced when he was young, and he spent summers with his dad in the Bowie area. He attended high school one year in Alvord and then completed high school in Dallas. After graduating from a Dallas arts school and McMurray University, he pursued a career in lighting design that has led him around the world.
The location
Moving into this next phase of his life, Chancellor began looking for the right building. It had to be at least two stories in order to provide a balcony, but he also wanted “A building with the right story.”
He checked out the old theater building in Bowie, but it didn’t have the right historic fit.
He also looked at the city auditorium in Bowie, but could not work a deal. Chancellor also was solicited by other locals who would love to have the theater in their town. However, the right building “did not speak to him “until he checked out a run down mess of a property in Montague.
Read the full feature in your weekend News.
Mark Chancellor power washes the exterior of the old bank building. (Photo by Barbara Green)
The Montague County Commissioner’s Court will meet at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12 in the County Courtroom at the Courthouse Annex in Montague.
Commissioners are scheduled to consider issuing a proclamation declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month within Montague County.
The court also will consider accepting $850 in unanticipated revenue for the sheriff’s office generated during National Night Out activities, alongside interlocal cooperation contracts between the Texas Department of Public Safety and Justices of the Peace for Precincts 1 and 2.
An executive session is scheduled to discuss personnel matters pertaining to sewer/septic inspector for the county. Any action would be taken back in open session.
The Oct. 9-11 Art of the Song Music and Art Festival opens Friday night for three days of art and entertainment in downtown Nocona.
The festival opens on Oct. 9 with a Chisholm Trail Art Association Preview Party from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 at the H.J. Justin Building.
Come see all the entries for the adult show, which formally opens at 10 a.m. on Oct. 10.
Live music will be played by Full Circle Band.
Also on Oct. 9 enjoy a Nocona Nights Street Dance from 7 to 9 p.m. with the Mark Murphey and Highway 82 Band. Cost is $10 per ticket and $200 for a table seating eight. Bring your lawn chairs.
Read the full schedule of events for the festival in your Thursday Bowie News.
These students are nominees for the 2026 homecoming court at Gold-Burg High School. Homecoming royals will be crowned in pre-game ceremonies before the Bears take on Throckmorton at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 9. Pictured are: Freshmen: Kenzley Foster and Jackson Allen, freshmen; Yareli Aguirre and Jojuan Grace, sophomores; Zara Andrade, junior and Brayden Odom, Kaylie Duncan, both seniors. Not pictured: Caleb Epperson, junior and Keelyn Case, senior.
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