The Island Falls Opera House

08/31/2026

A little cleaning of the theatre entry and theatre itself today in preparation for our son Kirby’s Graduation Party Monday night!!

08/28/2026

🏛️ A BUILDING THAT HAS WATCHED ISLAND FALLS GROW 🇺🇸

The Island Falls Opera House has been standing since 1894 — watching generations of families, businesses and community life pass through downtown Island Falls.

Long before television, streaming or even automobiles became part of everyday life, buildings like this were gathering places. People came together for entertainment, meetings, celebrations and community events.

More than 130 years later, the Opera House is still here.

Think about everything that has changed outside these walls since 1894. Horses gave way to automobiles. Electricity reached homes. Two World Wars came and went. Radio arrived, then television, computers and smartphones.

Yet this old building remained.

Every worn floorboard, old doorway and architectural detail is part of a much larger story — the story of the people who built Island Falls and the generations who called this community home.

Preserving the Island Falls Opera House isn’t simply about saving an old building.

It is about making sure a physical piece of our town’s history is still here for the generations that haven’t been born yet.

🏛️ Island Falls Opera House
📍 Island Falls, Maine
🗓️ Standing since 1894

If you have an old photograph, newspaper clipping, program, ticket, story or memory connected to the Opera House, we’d love to hear from you. Every piece helps us better understand and preserve its history. ❤️

08/26/2026

A big THANK YOU to this wonderful group of ladies from Patten for spending part of their day with us at the Island Falls Opera House! ❤️🎭

They joined us for lunch at the Red Tape Tavern 🍽️🍹 and then headed upstairs for a tour of our historic 1894 Opera House. 🏛️✨

We truly appreciate groups like this choosing to visit, eat local and take an interest in the history of this special old building. Every visit helps us continue maintaining and preserving the Opera House for future generations. ❤️

Thank you, ladies, for making the trip from Patten and for such an enjoyable afternoon! We hope you had as much fun visiting us as we had hosting you! 😊🥂🎭

📍 Red Tape Tavern at the Island Falls Opera House Inn
🏛️ Island Falls, Maine

08/16/2026

❤️🏛️ OPERA HOUSE WARRIORS — ONE OF OUR OWN NEEDS US! 🏛️❤️

Many of you have followed the restoration of the Island Falls Opera House and watched this beautiful old building come back to life piece by piece. 🛠️🪚🎭✨

What you may not know is that there have been some very special people behind the scenes who stepped up, rolled up their sleeves and helped us when we needed it most. 💪❤️

Christa Senf is one of those people. ❤️

Christa and her husband Karl are dear friends of ours, and Christa was a big part of helping us in the early days after we purchased the Opera House. 🏛️ She gave her time, energy, encouragement and support to help us bring this place back. 🛠️🎭❤️

Now Christa needs people standing behind her. 🙏❤️

She is facing a serious medical situation and surgery, and she and Karl could really use some help during this difficult time. 🏥🙏💗

We have nearly 1,800 followers on this page. 👥❤️ We’ve called on our Opera House Warriors before, and THIS is exactly what that means — a community coming together when someone who has given so much to others needs a helping hand herself. 🏛️⚔️❤️

💵 $5
💵 $10
💵 $20
💵 Or whatever you can comfortably give…

It all adds up. ❤️🙌 If even a small portion of our followers steps up, together we can make a REAL difference for Christa and Karl. 💪❤️🙏

Can’t donate right now? PLEASE SHARE! 📲🔄❤️ Sharing this fundraiser can be just as important by helping it reach someone who can help.

Christa was there for our Opera House when we needed helping hands. 🏛️❤️

Now it’s our turn to be there for Christa. 🙏💗

👇👇👇 PLEASE DONATE OR SHARE HERE: 👇👇👇
https://gofund.me/e6aca0efb

❤️🏛️⚔️ COME ON, OPERA HOUSE WARRIORS! ⚔️🏛️❤️
Let’s show Christa and Karl just how powerful this community can be when we come together. 🙏💪❤️

Support for Christa Senf Alexis is raising this fundraiser for her mother-in-l… Alexis Hartin needs your support for Support Christa Senf Through Surgery

08/09/2026

❤️🍻 THANK YOU FROM THE RED TAPE TAVERN! 🍻❤️

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who stopped in and supported us this week! We saw plenty of familiar faces along with some new ones and we truly appreciate every one of you! 🌴🍔🍕🍹

☀️ WE’RE NOW OFFICIALLY ON SUMMER VACATION! 🏖️😎

🚨 The Tavern will be CLOSED until Thursday, August 20.

📅 WE REOPEN THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
🕓 Doors open at 4 PM
🕘 Open until 9 PM

After that, we’ll be back to our regular hours!

Thank you again to all of our customers — both the longtime regulars and those who joined us for the first time this week. Your support keeps this little tavern going and we’re grateful you choose to spend some of your time with us. ❤️

Enjoy the rest of your summer and we’ll see you August 20 at 4 PM! 🍻🌴☀️

08/07/2026

It’s 1:30 in the morning.

I’m sitting alone in the back row of an 1894 opera house.

Not visiting it.
Not touring it.
Not sneaking into it.

I own it.

Twenty years ago, this building sat vacant. Today, it’s home to a tavern, an inn and my residence. Yet the theater itself still waits for the day it can legally welcome an audience again.

Tonight, there’s no performance. No applause. No actors. No music.

Just silence.

I find myself thinking about how many billions of people are in the world right now. Every second, lives begin. Every second, lives end. Countless things are happening all at once.

And yet here I am… sitting alone in the back row of a theater built more than 130 years ago, looking at a stage that has outlived generations of performers and audiences.

I honestly wonder how many people in America could say they’re experiencing anything remotely like this at this exact moment.

Not an abandoned theater.
Not a museum.
Not a restored venue open to the public.

A living building with a quiet theater waiting for its next chapter.

Moments like this remind me that life isn’t just measured by how common our experiences are. Sometimes it’s measured by how incredibly unlikely they are.

Tonight, I don’t take this one for granted…

07/31/2026

🚨Stop In Saturday @ 11AM!!🚨

🏛️✨ Step Back in Time at the Island Falls Opera House! ✨🏛️

📅 Tomorrow at 11:00 AM
🚪 Join us for a guided tour of the historic 1894 Island Falls Opera House!

Come explore one of Maine’s hidden treasures and discover the fascinating history, architecture and ongoing restoration of this incredible building. From the beautifully preserved upstairs theatre to the stories that have echoed through these halls for well over a century, there’s something for everyone to enjoy! 🎭📖

☕🍪 Light refreshments will be provided!

📍 Please meet in the Red Tape Tavern at 11:00 AM. We’ll begin there before walking up the side of the building and entering the theatre through its original Sewall Street entrance, just as patrons would have over a century ago. 🚪✨

📸 Bring your camera!
❓Ask questions!
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Bring your friends and family!

💝 Donations are greatly appreciated and will go directly toward the next phase of our theatre revitalization project by helping complete the finishing touches to the historic balcony area. Every contribution helps preserve this remarkable landmark for future generations. ❤️

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow! 🏛️🎭✨