About
The Ro-Na & Friends of Ironton
The Ro-Na today
The Ro-Na Theater and Conference Center is a restored 1949 Art Deco movie palace in downtown Ironton, Ohio, working again as a live venue. Concerts, comedy, film, festivals, community celebrations, weddings, conferences, and trainings all have a home under the restored neon — the Theater is the heart of the building, and the Conference Center is its corporate and rental track.
That's not a museum framing. When you buy a ticket, book a meeting room, or hold your reception in the auditorium, you're keeping a 1949 movie palace alive and earning its own way in downtown Ironton.
Friends of Ironton
Friends of Ironton is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit behind the restoration and operation of the Ro-Na Theater and Conference Center. We're neighbors, volunteers, and believers in downtown Ironton who spent close to two decades proving that a shuttered 1949 movie palace could earn its keep again.
What we do
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Steward the Ro-Na. Friends of Ironton operates the Ro-Na Theater and Conference Center — booking events, maintaining the building, and putting it to work for the community.
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Raise the money that keeps the lights on. Donations, memberships, sponsorships, and fundraising events all flow into the theater's operation and upkeep.
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Put volunteers to work. The Ro-Na was cleaned out, patched up, and brought back largely by volunteer hands — and volunteers still make event nights run.
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Champion downtown Ironton. A lit marquee anchors a downtown. The Ro-Na's revival is part of the larger story of Ironton's.
The story so far
The short version: the building returned to community hands in 2008, work on a new roof began in 2009, the neon marquee was relit in May 2014 after roughly four decades dark, and a state-supported renovation finished the auditorium, balcony, stage, and back-of-house spaces.
The full story — from 1949 movie palace to working venue — lives on Our History .
Join us
The Ro-Na runs on the same thing that rebuilt it: people who show up.
- Become a member — ongoing support for the theater, season after season.
- Donate — one-time or recurring gifts to Friends of Ironton.
- Volunteer — tell us your interests and availability; we'll find you a job worth doing.
- Sponsor — put your business's name behind a downtown landmark.