Fred Wehrenberg’s life was changed after he saw a moving picture at the 1904 World’s Fair. He opened the Cherokee Saloon, a silent film theatre in 1906. The success of the Cherokee inspired Wehrenberg to open the Airdome, an open-air theater (a drive-in without cars). — from Wikipedia

Wehrenberg Theatres is a Saint Louis based, family owned theatre chain that celebrated its 100th year in business in 2006. Werhenberg is the one of the largest theatre chains in the midwest, with 236 screens in 17 theatres in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.

The company recently announced to its more than 800 employees it will consider possibly selling its theatre operations. Among its screens are one Imax screen and several digital projection screens, in addition to their Megascreen, the largest in the midwest. The company cites their interest in selling to be a result of the ever-growing cost of maintaining market share, while competing with larger national chains and the rapidly expanding influence of hi-tech home theatre and home gaming systems.

For more info, read the following articles:

St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12-11-2007 by Angela Tablac

St. Louis Business Journal 12-07-2007 by Matt Allen