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NASHVILLE — State Rep. John Holsclaw, R-Elizabethton, successfully secured $200,000 in state funding for Friends of the Bonnie Kate. The funds will be used for the restoration and operation of the historic theater and the creation of a cultural arts center and arts business incubator.
“The Bonnie Kate is a landmark in Elizabethton,” Holsclaw said. “The theater holds a special place in the hearts of our residents, and the restoration and revitalization projects will ensure the Bonnie Kate will continue to be a part of our community for many years to come. I greatly appreciate my colleagues in the House and Senate for approving these funds and for supporting this project.”
The Bonnie Kate Theater opened in the spring of 1926 and was named after Katherine Sherrill Sevier, nicknamed “Bonnie Kate,” who was a heroine of Carter County in the 1700s and the wife of the first governor of Tennessee. The restoration is slated to be completed by 2026 in celebration of the theater’s 100-year anniversary.
The appropriated funds are part of a $42.6 billion balanced budget passed in May by the 112th Tennessee General Assembly that cuts taxes and provides significant investments in education, health care, and economic development.
John Holsclaw represents House District 4, which includes Unicoi County and part of Carter County. He chairs the Departments and Agencies Subcommittee and is a member of the Commerce, Local Government and State Government Committees. He also serves on the Business and Utilities and Elections and Campaign Finance Subcommittees. He can be reached at rep.john.holsclaw@capitol.tn.gov or 615-741-7450.