It is “the gathering space”, or social area where a community’s important memories are made in the hispanic culture, similar to the purposes of Kivas or Community Halls in other cultures that draw family and friends closer together in their sala.
The renovated theater has been redesigned inside and out for a single purpose; gathering people. Whether it’s a late night horror movie, a business presentation, trivia night, book club meeting, LAN party, or you and your friends just want to get together for the premier of your favorite TV series; we want you to feel at home. The theater is re-opening in a new interactive way that includes the whole community.
Movie watching has always been a part of our mountain community. Tracing back to the Manhattan Project Los Alamos started with two theaters. One theater showed the latest movies while the second one became the main venue for social gatherings such as dances, plays, concerts, lectures, and even church meetings. Our SALA events center concept grew from these early roots.
We think it is important to remember our community’s history and the iconic theaters that came and went over the years such as the Centre Theater, the White Roxy Theater, the Hill Theater, or of course our personal favorite, the treasured Reel Deal Theater that closed in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
Los Alamos has seen numerous businesses come and go. The businesses that have managed to stay have earned loyal local support and are staples to the social life on the Hill. Unfortunately, even that is not enough- it is too often that local commerce is being moved off the Hill and as a result, the Los Alamos downtown is starting to disappear.
The Sala Event Center is born out of the necessity to unify small businesses and strengthen the identity of our mountain town. Los Alamos Residents dearly miss the Reel Deal Theater and we have the solution to bring it back into the hands of the community and breathe new life into the downtown.