SIDNEY -- The Fox Theater is getting an exterior facelift.

The sign that has announced movies is in the process of going digital. The work is funded by grants, and the work is being done by Whiting Signs out of Scottsbluff. The location electrician is CNN Electrical.

"We've got a grant, actually two grants; one from PADD (Panhandle Area Development District) and one from the City, the Historical Board, to put a digital marquee in," said Kim Phillips.

Time line for completion is estimated by the end of the month.

"I am not sure. We had to come up with the deposit several months ago. They're just getting here. I would say maybe a couple weeks or so ... I'm guessing," she said. 

She said they were motivated to update the sign by the cost of maintenance.

"For several years we've been struggling to get the letters that actually clip on to the existing sign, and they're expensive. The ones we have are breaking. Of course, Nebraska wind and weather really deteriorated what we had in inventory," she said.

She said when she saw a similar project in Beatrice she looked into grants to do it in Sidney. She added when completed the digital display will have potential for community use.

"We could actually do advertising on it. Once we get up and going and learn the whole way of doing it. The program, we'll probably reach out to businesses and see. We're also going to use it since the City was so gracious to help us with the grant and get part of a grant through here, we'll do public service announcements on here," she said.