WILKES-BARRE — The F.M Kirby Center held its 40th anniversary celebration Saturday night, capped off with the premiere of the Neil Prisco documentary — “The Diamond of Downtown.”
The Kirby Center exists because of community support — donors, patrons, media — all in corroboration to first get the old Paramount Theater renovated, then to keep the lights on for 40 years.
The Kirby Center stands in testimony of the good that can be done and sustained when people work toward a common goal.
And that was evident Saturday night.
The Times Leader has supported the Kirby Center from the very start. We published an eight-page broadsheet special section that provides a history of the Kirby Center, a listing of donors, and an array of photos through the years.
In the main story for that section, Joell Yarmel, executive director at the Kirby Center, said the same community that came together to renovate the building and reopen the doors is the one that keeps the doors open year after year.
No truer words could be spoken.
“What is so beautiful to me is that this community is the very reason the F.M. Kirby Center exists today,” Yarmel said. “Members of STOP — Save The Old Paramount — came together to save this building, and Al Boscov led the charge, blazing the trail for us to produce and promote the arts in downtown Wilkes-Barre.”
Yarmel hit the nail on the head. She eloquently credited the true heroes of the Kirby Center’s success — the community that the sparkling venue serves with open doors and bright lights.
In October 2025, Yarmel said The Institute reported that the F.M. Kirby Center generated a $16 million economic impact in the area.
“Those results illustrate the important role our organization plays in downtown Wilkes-Barre and throughout the community,” Yarmel said. “But the value of the F.M. Kirby Center goes far beyond the numbers. We are an economic driver for downtown Wilkes-Barre, but we are also a place where people come together, where children experience the arts for the first time, where families create memories, and where our community can experience world-class entertainment right here at home.
“It’s in those moments that we are reminded why we’re here, and why we always will be.”
Like I said — eloquent.
Yarmel said she and her staff continue to expand the opportunities they provide for children at the F.M. Kirby Center. And the Kirby Center provides programming that touches all demographics, offering something for everyone — and then some.
“Programs are possible because of the incredible generosity of our community,” Yarmel said. “Our donors continue to support our ideas and our vision for serving local families, and they trust us to be good stewards of their contributions. That trust allows us to continue finding new and meaningful ways to open our doors to children and families throughout our community.
“When I think about all of the people who have given countless hours, dollars, creativity, and passion to an organization that truly serves our community and reaches far beyond it, it’s almost overwhelming to comprehend.”
And, of course, those ticket-buyers who keep coming back time and again.
“Moments like our 40th anniversary make me pause and reflect on just how far we’ve come,” she said. “They make me believe that we’re doing something right, and they make me incredibly excited about what the next 40 years can bring.”
The Kirby family support
S. Dillard Kirby, of the F.M. Kirby Foundation, attended Saturday night’s celebration. He said it was Al Boscov who convinced Kirby’s father to make a philanthropic investment in the renovation of the old Paramount Theater into what became the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts.
“I saw first-hand communications between Al Boscov and my Dad in the months leading up to the renovation and dedication of the Center and in the years that followed,” Kirby said. “Boscov’s stewardship of the project and the communities’ support was stupendous.”
In the Times Leader story, Kirby said it might not be well known, but Boscov offered the naming in light of the family’s support for the area over many years — not as a pitch for new funding for the Center.
The Kirby family and the F. M. Kirby Foundation have a long history of extensive philanthropic support and major donations throughout Luzerne County, particularly in Wilkes-Barre and the surrounding Wyoming Valley.
Some examples of the Kirby family philanthropy for this area:
• Kirby Park
• Angeline Elizabeth Kirby Memorial Health Center
• F. M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
• The Salvation Army Kirby Family House
• The Kirby Center for Creative Arts at Wyoming Seminary
• Kirby Hall at Wilkes University
• Regional organizations like the United Way of Wyoming Valley, local churches, disaster relief via the American Red Cross, and educational initiatives and more.
The area holds a deep debt of gratitude to the Kirby family for all that it has done to improve the quality of life for so many.
Jim Boscov, nephew of the late Al Boscov, said his uncle had a deep, genuine appreciation of the arts, and he valued the community of Wyoming Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“His deep appreciation and concern gave him the energy to cobble together the funding to take a run-down theater and transform it into what is now the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts,” said Boscov, CEO of Boscov’s.
“That facility changed the city.”
Boscov recalled how his uncle galvanized the community by bringing together representatives from all over to get the project off the ground and guide it to completion.
“It’s brought vibrancy to the city with long-lasting positive effects,” Boscov said.
Bravo!