The spotlights will remain dark at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema location in New Braunfels, as company officials announced Wednesday that the theaterâs temporary closure will now become permanent.
The Austin-based dine-in theater chain made the announcement online Wednesday morning, citing the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
âLast March, we temporarily closed Marketplace along with every other Alamo Drafthouse location,â a post on the theaterâs website said. âNearly a year later, weâre incredibly sad to tell you that because of the ongoing impact of COVID, we will not be reopening Marketplace.â
Alamo Drafthouse closed its doors in March 2020 when many businesses were forced to close due to the pandemic. After Gov. Greg Abbott allowed theaters to reopen under specific guidelines, the New Braunfels location remained closed.
Retiring Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Michael Meek was honored Friday night for his civic service as the Chamber announced him the winner of the Besserung Award, often referred to as the New Braunfels outstanding citizen award.
Community and business leaders gathered to hear the announcement during the Chamberâs 102nd annual banquet and awards ceremony at the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center.
The name of the winner was kept secret until the moment of the announcement. For the first time in Meekâs tenure as Chamber president and CEO, he did not know the real recipient. With the help of a few clued-in staff and executive board members, the honor came as a complete surprise to Meek.
Succession plan key to New Braunfels Covid rebound - San Antonio Business Journal bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New Braunfels still made headway in several key economic areas in 2020, considering the challenges the city faced in a year defined by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tom Purdum, who was serving as the New Braunfels chamber CEO at the time, hired Meek to serve as director of the Greater New Braunfels Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“I had the opportunity fortunately, for me to come in at the ground floor and mentor and learn under him,” Meek said. “I tell people I learned more under him than I learned in college, . learned more from him about the chamber business, the tourism business and the economic development business.”
During his time with the chamber of commerce, Meek oversaw the creation of the Central Texas Technology Center, a major expansion and remodeling of the New Braunfels Civic and Convention Center, the development of the Leadership New Braunfels program and efforts to bring more jobs to the community.