Brooklyn, Iowa Dedicates Landmark to Late College Student

It's been three years since University of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts was pronounced dead after disappearing on a jog near her home in Brooklyn, and the tributes from her hometown have not stopped coming.

According to KCCI and the Cedar Rapids Gazette, the historic Brooklyn Opera House was more than influential in the upbringing of Mollie Tibbetts. The newly revamped opera house turned performance art studio and movie theater was operated for decades by her grandparents, mother, and uncle. A local couple spearheaded that effort to repurpose the theater and part of it now features a shrine to Mollie in the form of a wall featuring her personal poetry. This Friday, October 22, is the first time the public will be able to visit the renovated space and honor Mollie due to the restrictions of the pandemic.

Everyone is welcome to the ribbon-cutting starting at 1 p.m. Friday, and there is plenty of activity throughout the day to celebrate the opening. A dinner and silent auction will take place at 6:30 with a live auction at 8 p.m. To donate an item towards the silent or live auction, please contact the opera house at (641) 522-2424.

The next night will jump-start what organizers and community members hope will be a bright future for the Opera House, and to show how important this landmark is, they will host an already sold-out show featuring Maddie Poppe of Clarksville and American Idol fame, on Saturday, October 23 at 8 p.m.

Anyone who would like information on the Friday events or to donate to the auctions can call (641) 522-2424. You may also visit the opera house front desk for an RSVP form.

The Brooklyn Opera House is located at 105 Jackson Street in Brooklyn.