Tonight, the lovely Mrs. Honnold and I went and saw "The Hobbit 2" at The Avon Theater in beautiful downtown Decatur.
As a kid who grew up seeing a lot of movies at the (now shuttered) historic Will Rogers Theater in Charleston Illinois, the similarities with the Avon bring back some great memories for me.
This place has been around since 1916 -- opening and closing several times under different ownership:
What a treasure for Decatur to have!!
The current owner, Skip Huston lives and breathes everything motion picture and movie history related.
He's an absolute movie lover.
Loves it so much he purchased and renovated the Avon several years back (1999).
Loves it so much he added 2 additional screens ("The Twins") back in 2004.
Skip was there tonight. He was manning the box office. Sold us our tickets. Then, I presume, headed up to one of the 3 camera rooms to run the projectors.
Smiling. Joking with the customers. Taking a very active role in his business and his passion.
Very cool!
I am saddened that we as a family did not discover The Avon sooner. We've lived in the Decatur metro area for 16 years now and have only been to The Avon a handful of times.
It's not a glitzy or glamorous place. Skip and his crew keep it well-maintained, but The Avon doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the megaplexes do. It can't. Not only is the building almost 100 years old, but there are many people who won't step foot in downtown Decatur after dark. Those 2 things are working against Skip.
There's something about this theater that is just really special. Something you take home from the experience that you don't get at the big box theaters out in Forsyth and Mt. Zion.
What do I think is great about the Avon?
-- You buy your ticket, the concession stand is 15 feet away, the door to the theater is 15 more feet away. No long hallways.
-- There's cool movie memorabilia surrounding you in the lobby.
-- Concessions are pricey, but well below the prices at the big box theaters. Plus, they have a great selection of neat eats like nachos, pretzel bites, and flavored popcorn.
-- The building! Much of the original decor/design has been removed or covered up due to many renovations thru the years, but the aura of a 1916 movie house is still there. At some point, I would love to get a tour of the building, to lay eyes on some the history that still exists behind the "modern" facade.
-- Staff greet you with a friendly smile as you're exiting the theater, thanking you for coming. WOW
-- Satisfaction of knowing that you're supporting a local business and local jobs.
And don't think that The Avon is at a competitive disadvantage to the movie compounds in these regards:
- The Avon shows first-run movies (like The Hobbit) and many "artistic" and lesser-known films that the other theaters won't show
- The Avon's main screen is the largest in town
- The Avon has the ability to show films in 3-D
- there is stadium seating in "The Twins"
The Avon is a true gem of downtown, of Decatur, of Macon County.
If you're reading this and live locally, please don't make the same mistake we did and neglect the Avon for so long.
To ensure that doesn't happen to us (again), we bought a "VIP PASS" tonight -- 10 admissions, $55. That's $5.50 per film, for first-run movies! Very close to half-price of the big-box theaters.
We'll be back Skip! Movie on!!
Out for now.....
Matt
get more info about the Avon from a guy who's seen 150+ movies there:
side note: The Avon has a reputation as being one of the most "haunted" places in Decatur. That's another story for another day. But, we saw no ghosts, spirits, apparitions, or floating orbs tonight. :)