The Mauch Chunk Opera House is launching a fundraising campaign that it hopes will help them keep their doors open.

Repeated Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board fines put the Jim Thorpe entertainment venue in a bind before the borough adopted its own noise ordinance.Prior to the PLCB relinquishing noise issues to local police, the opera house amassed fines of over $2,000 since November 2013 after complaints by neighbors."We are so grateful for Jim Thorpe's noise ordinance, but it took 10 months and the damage was done during that time," said Vincent Degiosio, of JTAMS Inc., producer of events at the opera house.From September through March, the opera house put its liquor license in safekeeping to avoid potentially losing it for too many noise violations. That meant JTAMS couldn't sell alcohol, only ask for donations.That hit the business at the worst time possible."We are very busy through the fall and the winter here in Jim Thorpe," Degiosio said. "When spring and summer rolls around, it's nicer out and there is more of a variety of things to do. So not having our liquor license in the fall and winter, our busy season, was a huge hit. It probably took out 75 percent of our revenue."Now, the opera house is asking for the public's help in a grass-roots effort to raise $40,000.Degiosio said that number was chosen because the venue has 20,000 people on its email list and just $2 from every fan would allow them to reach the goal.A link to donate is available on the opera house website,

www.mcohjt.com.The fundraiser runs until mid-July and will end with a benefit bash concert."The Craig Thatcher Band is going to be rolling out a new show called the Blues and Rock Revolution," Degiosio said. "We're going to have food from local eateries and we're hoping to make it an all-day event. The adjoining parking lot is going to be used for a little outdoor festival during the day and the concert at night."While Degiosio and JTAMS put money away to get them through the tough times, the opera house's cycle of making money was disrupted by the lack of a liquor license."We're just wondering if this is it," he said. 'It took us 10 months to get the ordinance and we're up against the wall right now. We do this because we think it's a great thing. We're not in it for the money. It's always been a tightrope and we've found a way to make it work. Hopefully that continues."