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Lerner Theatre's 100th year: committee, staff and mayor mark centennial and unveil time capsule

Elkhart City Common Council · January 13, 2026

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Summary

At the Elkhart City Council meeting, Lerner 100 committee members and Lerner Theatre staff summarized a yearlong centennial celebration that drew tens of thousands, described a new time capsule in the theatre concourse, and accepted a city honor naming a lobby for committee leader Diana Lawson.

The Elkhart City Common Council heard a presentation celebrating the Lerner Theatre's 100th anniversary, honoring the committee that organized yearlong programming and unveiling a time capsule placed in the theatre concourse.

Diana Lawson, lead of the Lerner 100 committee, told the council the centennial year aimed to curate the theatre's history, showcase local arts and remind the community of the theater's importance as a gathering place. "We have so much history where we didn't have any documented, curated history of the Lerner," Lawson said, describing outreach to residents and contributions of memorabilia from across the country.

Carl Thompson, general manager of the Lerner Theatre, listed events that anchored the celebration, including an original musical about Harry Lerner and a free film series. He said the program included more than 75 event nights and welcomed more than 53,000 visitors to downtown Elkhart, and that the Lerner's free events drew "over 20,000 people" across the year.

Thompson and Lawson described a time capsule—designed by JJ Bond and constructed by Tim Gardner—now displayed in the downtown concourse lobby, and credited partners such as Friends of the Lerner and Elkhart County CBB for programming support. Thompson said the committee's goals included positioning the theatre as a regional destination to bring audiences and economic activity to local businesses.

Mayor Rod praised the committee's work and announced that the lobby beneath the Crystal Ballroom will be renamed the "Diana Lawson lobby" in recognition of Lawson's leadership during the centennial year. The presentation closed with council applause and a certificate of appreciation from Lerner Theatre staff.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation; the item was informational and the council moved on to other agenda business.