Putting the “Star” in Star City: How A Once-Vacant Movie Theater is Becoming a Beacon for Appalachian Artists

On August 1, 2026, a beloved community building in Prestonsburg, KY that had sat vacant for over a decade opened its doors for a new era.

The building was formerly the Strand Movie Theater, Prestonsburg’s historic two-screen cinema and a fixture of community life in the area. But after the theater went out of business in 2013, the building sat unused - until an unexpected buying opportunity put it in the hands of Pat Tallent, an Eastern Kentucky basketball star turned business executive who had recently returned to the region with the mission of restoring Prestonsburg’s StoneCrest Golf Course.

The remodeled Strand building. Image courtesy of Buddy Forbes, WYMT.

“I didn’t really have a plan for it,” Tallent admitted of the Strand building in an interview with Kentucky to the World. But in the midst of clearing out boxes upon boxes of movie posters, film reels, and even the old cinema projectors, a vision began to come together: a venue space with a little something for everyone in the community - and with any luck, events so cool they were worth traveling to if you lived out of town. 

After two and a half years of renovations, that vision finally came to life on August 1, as the former Strand Movie Theater held its grand opening as the Star City Strand. The venue can hold up to 790 people, and with two stages, two bars, a balcony lounge, a restaurant, and overnight lodging, the space is equipped to handle everything from concerts to film screenings to weddings and other large-scale events. 

The Star City Strand’s Grand Opening event on August 1, 2026. Images courtesy of the Star City Strand.

As the venue finds its footing, Tallent says they’ll be hosting all sorts of events to see what the community is most interested in, in addition to weekly dining and bar service. In its first two weeks of business alone, the Strand has hosted a classic movie night, a comedian/magician, and multiple local musicians. And several ticketed concert events are planned for later in the year, including well-known local and regional artists such as The Local Honeys, Taylor Hollingsworth, and Nicholas Jamerson. 

But the impact Tallent hopes to make extends far beyond the walls of the Strand itself. In fact, the Star City Strand is just one of four endeavors Tallent is undertaking alongside his business partner, Dub Cornett - a Southwest Virginia-born TV, film, and music producer with strong connections in both Nashville and Hollywood - to make Eastern Kentucky a place where creatives can not just live, but thrive. 

“We know that Eastern Kentucky has a lot of great artists,” said Tallent. “But all those people, they had to go to Nashville. While Eastern Kentucky was mining coal, Nashville was mining our local musicians.” 

Tallent and Cornett aim to keep that talent local with a multi-pronged approach that gives artists the opportunities they need to build a career right at home. The Strand, which gives local artists a platform and the community a much-needed spot for entertainment, is just one of those prongs. Next is the Amplify Artist Resource Fund, a nonprofit that will support independent Kentucky artists through education, funding opportunities, and access to a creative community. The third one, sitting in a private area of the Strand building, is RidgeTone Records, a fully-fledged record label that has already signed the likes of Brit Taylor and Dale Blankenship. And finally, a building next door holds AppalVision Studios, a professional TV and film production company that just wrapped filming its first original series. 

Various spaces within the Star City Strand, including RidgeTone Records. Images courtesy of the Star City Strand.

“We believe the music, stories, and culture of Appalachia are most powerful when they remain connected to the place that shaped them,” says a document Tallent and Cornett wrote of their business venture. “The Star City Strand gives artists a stage, RidgeTone Records captures the music, AppalVision tells the story, and Amplify Artist Resource Fund provides support that has been missing for generations. Together, we’re preserving Appalachian culture, investing in its future, and sharing its voices with the world.”

Tallent hopes that as these ventures grow, they will support an ecosystem that allows creatives of all kinds to have thriving careers in the mountains - and maybe one day, allow those who had to move away for work the opportunity to come home. Until then, though, the Star City Strand stands as a beacon of possibility for artists and community members alike. 

“You have to have a place to start,” said Tallent. “The hope is that you build it, and they will come.”