Cortez Radio Station and Theater Turns Saturday Nights Into $aturday Nights for Local Businesses | LOR Foundation
Complete Economy

Cortez Radio Station and Theater Turns Saturday Nights Into $aturday Nights for Local Businesses

  • Local Champion: KSJD Community Radio
  • Date Funded: August 21, 2023
  • Grant Amount: $23,100

The sidewalks don’t roll up on Saturday nights in Cortez, but there sure aren’t many people on them—which creates a problem for local businesses. To help drive more traffic (and spending) downtown the local community radio station—which also manages Sunflower Theater—had an idea. The Sunflower’s summer move series had been very successful and had coincided with an increase in business for nearby establishments like WildEdge Brewery. So what if the theater showed low-cost ($5) films on Saturday nights and helped organized food trucks and other local vendors, creating a good reason for folks to come downtown? All they needed to make this happen was a digital projector and server to show documentaries and other films (instead of asking production houses to send film reels, which is more expensive and becoming antiquated). The proceeds of the showings will help support the purchase of future films. LOR’s support will help with the purchase of the digital projector and server to make downtown the hottest place to be on Saturday nights.

Contact our community officer in Cortez. Meet Nicci Crowley
More Economy Solutions
Economy / Questa Emergency Equipment Helps Stand Up an Evacuation Shelter for Questa Residents
Local Champion:
Living Word Ministries
Date funded:
June 10, 2025
Grant Amount:
$17,000
Economy / Taos A Taos Weekly Wellness Program Brings Community and Business
Local Champion:
Downtown Taos
Date funded:
May 22, 2025
Grant Amount:
$9,538
Economy / Cortez A Mobile Art Park Creates a Public Display for Cortez Artists
Local Champion:
Dolores Rotary
Date funded:
May 16, 2025
Grant Amount:
$12,785
Economy / Questa Murals Bring Color and Life to Downtown Questa
Local Champion:
Questa Creative Council
Date funded:
May 8, 2025
Grant Amount:
$10,000
Economy / Questa Business Workshops Build Skills for Questa Entrepreneurs
Local Champion:
Questa Economic Development Fund
Date funded:
May 1, 2025
Grant Amount:
$15,000
Economy / Cortez Free Financial Workshops Promote Economic Stability in Cortez
Local Champion:
A Cortez local
Date funded:
April 25, 2025
Grant Amount:
$10,000

Share an Idea

If you have an idea for improving quality of life in Cortez or Monte Vista, Colorado; Lander, Wyoming; Libby, Montana; Questa or Taos, New Mexico; or Weiser, Idaho, use this form to start a conversation with us.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.