In the City of Lynden the Dutch Village Mall was created in 1987 by Jim and Carolyn Wynstra, and Judd Rinsema, containing a 160-seat theatre named after a Queen of the Netherlands, Juliana, who reigned from 1948-1980. The original theatre was in keeping with the Dutch theme of the city and was named the “The Queen Juliana Theatre”.

Claire vg Thomas, with the help of theatre-loving friends, established the Lynden Performing Arts Guild, now call The Claire Theatre which has become a huge artistic success in our community, putting on at least four productions a year lasting several weeks each, and playing to full houses.
Claire VanderGriend was born in Lynden in 1917. She started playing the piano at age five, and became an accomplished pianist and organist, with an eventual Masters Degree in Music. Her early career years were in New York where she was employed by the world-famous team of Rodgers & Hammerstein! From 1947 to 1949, she provided piano accompaniment for all those who auditioned for roles in their musicals.

A look back. An inspiration forward.

Explore The Claire's archives and relive the productions that have filled our stage with laughter, music, and applause. Our past is the foundation of the stories we'll tell tomorrow.

Our Legacy Collection

The Claire Theatre would like to take a moment to recognize the businesses who came together to remodel our precious community theater the summer of 2025 including Cascade Drywall, Lynden Interiors, Liquid Applications, Excel Electrical Contractor and Westside Building Supply, while giving a rousing applause to Element Hospitality who not only have been our friends and neighbors, but provided the project management, supervision, carpentry and general labor. Their dedication to this community and our theater cannot be understated. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.

We’d like you to take a moment to consider a financial contribution. As you can imagine, it is a costly undertaking to preserve our non-profit theater over the years. If you would like to support our team, please click on our ‘support’ tab.

Location:

655 Front Street Lynden, WA 98264

North of Bellingham

From Bellingham go north on the Guide Meridian 12 miles to Lynden. Turn right onto Front Street, continuing to downtown. The theatre is located in the Dutch Village Mall on the right. Look for the turning windmill!

Contact: admin@theclaire.org

Board of Directors