Education & Community Outreach

The Coronado Classroom presents vibrant programs in an interactive format to small groups of no more than 50 students each. These inspiring programs showcase a broad spectrum of disciplines. Each session lasts 1.5 hours and begins in the Coronado Classroom with a presentation that is thoughtfully developed to create student engagement with a multidisciplinary approach. Their experience continues as they explore the stunning spaces and stage of the Coronado Theatre.

Through our photo archives, artifacts, and walking through the very spaces that made history at the Coronado, it is a unique approach to bring history to life. 

• The roaring 20’s when the Coronado was constructed 
• The Great Depression when Rockfordians left their hardships for a short time in the magical theater seeing low cost movies and leaving their troubles behind. 
• WWII, how the Coronado inspired our community to raise a national record of $175,000 in war bonds in a single evening at a variety talent show by Camp Grant personnel. The event was documented in Life Magazine.  
• 1960 the streets and every seat when presidential candidate John F. Kennedy came to Coronado Theatre.
• Civic pride, when the community came together in 1997 to save the Coronado Theatre, winning national awards for the project

After the re-opening of the meticulously restored and modernized Coronado Theatre in 2001, the Friends of the Coronado (FOC) established the “Reach for the Stars” project. The “Reach” project is our commitment that the Coronado Theatre will always be here to enrich the lives of children.

To ensure participation regardless of the ability to pay, the “Reach for Stars” performances are free of charge to students and schools including bus transportation. The students experience high quality, professional (“world-class”) performance, unlike anything most have experienced previously in one of the top three atmospheric historic theaters in North America. It is the consistency, depth, and predictability of this school children’s project that sets it apart. First, second and third-grade students anticipate their fourth-grade day at the Coronado. 100% of the children in the Rockford Public Schools are impacted by this project. Since 2002, over 36,000 children have participated.

Through the generosity of our donors, for 20 years, and counting, we’ve made certain that every RPS student experiences the grandeur and magic of the Coronado.

Help us reach more students in our community. Please consider a donation to Friends of the Coronado Foundation. 

Come experience the history of the Coronado Theatre. Historical photos, newspaper clippings, and stories have been meticulously collected by Land of Lincoln Theatre Organ Society. The Coronado Theatre’s historical archives and artifacts are on display for public viewing in the Coronado Education Center. It’s truly an exceptional display of living history.