CANYON CITY — Grant County most certainly does have a movie theater.

And nope, we’re not “lion” about it.

And with that little hint, its name comes from a Disney movie.

Since 2007, the upstairs floor of the Canyon City Community Hall has been affectionately known as “Grantville Theater,” deriving its name from the fictional one in the Disney flick “Napoleon and Samantha” (1972).

In the movie — which, by the way, was filmed entirely in Grant County — there’s a scene early on in which young Napoleon (Johnny Whitaker) and his grandpa (Will Geer) exit from the building after an outing at “Grantville Theater.”

Ah, movie magic!

The spacious room has all the ambiance of an actual movie house, complete with upholstered reclining theater seats — cup holders too! — which can seat about 100 spectators. Movies are projected from a DVD player onto a sizable screen on the wall at one end of the room with surround-sound speakers amplifying the atmosphere.

Reasonably priced concessions with all the moviegoing treats one might savor complete the experience.

For many years following the theater’s opening, movies — newly released DVDs, often preceded by cartoon shorts — were offered monthly at Grantville. After the pandemic, however, interest seemed to dwindle.

John Day/Canyon City Parks and Recreation has renewed its use by renting the theater for special family events. Recent movie nights included Monster Movie Mania for Halloween and a Holiday Craft and Movie Night featuring two Christmas movies.

Parks and Rec’s next event at Grantville Theater will be a Spring Movie and Craft evening on Saturday, March 29. The free craft session is from 5-5:45 p.m. The movie, “Peter Rabbit” (PG-2018), will be shown at 6 p.m. The cost per person (which includes a small popcorn) is $6.50 if ordered online or $8 at the door.

The group has future movie nights lined out as well — a “Summer Kick-off Movie” on June 21, a back-to-school one is Aug. 30, and Halloween and Christmas events are on the schedule again, too.

Ana DeVincentis, JD/CC Parks and Recreation office manager and assistant, said the family movie nights at Grantville have been a successful and positive venture.

“We like having the opportunity to expand and include the entire community in activities,” she said.

The movie nights offer fun for a wider variety of people, including adults, DeVincentis said, adding, “Parks and Rec isn’t about just kids.”

She said it all started with the Autumn Movie Mania nights in 2023, with showings of “Coraline” and “The Grudge.”

It was a big hit with a good turnout, DeVincentis said, which encouraged them to take advantage of the facility for future events.

The building, located at 129 S. Washington St. in Canyon City, bears significant historic value. Built in 1937, it has been well-used over the years by the Eastern Star, the Masons, the Odd Fellows and similar organizations.

Rooms in the building may be rented for family functions, meetings and other community events. According to Canyon City’s city recorder Tami Kowing, rates for Grantville Theater are $110 for a two-hour minimum and $30 for each additional hour. Rates for the spacious lower floor, as well as a meeting room upstairs, are $100 for a two-hour minimum and $25 for each additional hour. There are also per-day rates available.

And to find out just WHY we’re not “lion” about this Grant County gem, you have to watch “Napoleon and Samantha” to find out.

To order tickets for the Spring Movie and Craft evening, visit jdccparksandrec.org.

For more information about Grantville Theater, call Canyon City’s City Hall at 541-575-0509.