by Michelle McNeal

AND NOW, for our feature presentation

How a community saved its theater

Walking downtown, the bright lights of the theater's marquee beckon you to come in and take a step back in time. The box office ticket seller greets you as you purchase your $5 ticket. Following the blue, yellow and pink swirled carpet up the ramp to the first aisle, you visit with your neighbor, a volunteer at the concession stand, while you buy your popcorn.

You're early enough to choose one of the most popular seats, high in the back, above the rest of the audience. Smiling, you notice the gold plaque on your coral colored seat's arm. Engraved upon it is the name of a friend who donated to the theater.

"It was somewhat of a controversial project at first. People said the town had no business being in the movie theater business. They said it was an inappropriate role for government," says Peterson. "People don't say that now. Now you hear 'What a wonderful facility' and 'Thank goodness you had the foresight to preserve it.'"

Just before the neon lights go dim, the traditional door prize drawing is held. You don't win, but it's fun to hear the winner cheer with delight. It's a full house tonight, but the crowd noise stops as the cartoon begins. And cheers erupt as it ends and the classic jingle "Lets go out to the lobby" plays.

Now it's time for the feature presentation. Lost in the black and white film, you're now laughing and crying with your neighbor. And when it's over, the entire audience applauds. On the way out you're careful to pick up your popcorn container, and any loose kernels that have fallen on the floor, and deposit it all in the bright trash container.

Does this sound like your typical movie theater experience today? Not likely. But it perfectly describes a visit to the Normal Theater in downtown Normal. Like many Illinois towns, Normal was going to lose its theater to a parking lot or store. The community joined together with the city to save the theater and restore it to its original beauty. Built in 1937, the Normal

From left: City Manager Mark Peterson, Theater Manager Dawn Riordan and City Mayor Ken Karraker have worked together to make the Normal Theater a success.

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Theater has again become a successful part of the downtown area.

"People come for the experience, not just the movie," says Manager Dawn Riordan. Movies shown include classics like Gone with the Wind or The Wizard of Oz, and some independent and foreign films as well. Though many of the movies aren't well-known or new, they're very popular. And the 1930s' experience is enchanting. Personal service, door prizes, favorite films on the big screen, and audience participation in the movies join together to make the experience truly a step back in time.

The theater averages 250 customers each showing. The audiences gain the experience of seeing a classic movie as it was originally intended to be seen. They can laugh and cry, and even sing along with other members of the community. "In terms of a full house, this is probably the most popular theater house in the community. When you go into one of those other theaters, you don't see 250 people at one show unless it's opening night or extremely popular. But night in and night out, this is probably the biggest single draw," says Kent Karraker, Mayor of Normal.

Community involvement has been crucial to the entire restoration of the theater. From financial donations to volunteering labor and expertise, the community came together to restore this historic landmark. Local residents who are part of the local trade and labor unions donated an immeasurable and extraordinary amount of time, labor and expertise to the process.

The community supports the theater because it is theirs. People return again and again and often bring out-of-town guests.

"They're proud of it. And it's become a real source of community pride," says Mark Peterson, City Manager of Normal. And audiences try to take care of the theater. After a show, people leave the theater as clean as when they found it.

Every year, the theater becomes more successful. The showing of White Christinas last holiday season sold out every show. The audience even sang along with the film. And after each showing there was applause. "When is the last time you went to a movie and people applauded? It's a custom here. I've never been

A young man buys a ticket to the show from theater voluneteer Gary Campell.

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Before the films begins, the buzz of excitement fills the theater as customers
chat or purchase refreshments from the volunteer behind the counter.

here when everyone didn't applaud, even after the cartoons," says Karraker.

The theater was rebuilt through a city and community partnership. The city of Normal, although facing some public ridicule, purchased the structure after it closed. "It was somewhat of a controversial project at first. People said the town had no business being in the movie theater business. They said it was an inappropriate role for government," says Peterson. "People don't say that now. Now you hear 'What a wonderful facility' and 'Thank goodness you had the foresight to preserve it.'"

A town owning a movie theater is not a common practice, but with the exception of a few protesters, people of the community embraced the project. A committee was formed by the city to organize local fundraisers for the million-dollar restoration process. Light bulbs for the marquee were sold for $25 each and seats are still being adopted. Only a few of the 395 seats remain vacant. Adopted seats have a plaque with the donor's name or dedication engraved on it.

Fundraising went well throughout the entire restoration process, but the community's efforts gained a boost when all the lights in downtown Normal were turned off one night and the marquee was lit. "It was literally breathtaking. You could just hear people audibly gasp," says Peterson.

The lighting of the marquee seemed to give the theater a sense of permanency and heralded what was soon to come. It was definite progress that could be seen by all. And more donations began flowing in.

The rest of the restoration process, however, took a bit longer due to its extensiveness. "If you came in here at the beginning of the process, it looked like a brick alley. You had two brick walls and nothing from one end to the other," said Karraker. The building's structure had to be reinforced and all plumbing, wiring and heating systems were re-done.

"It really is a case study in historic restoration," said Peterson. "Everyone has a memory of the Normal Theater." And those memories are what made the restoration process so successful. Throughout the restoration, people who had worked at the original theater were consulted to ensure the theater would

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be historically accurate.

Restoring the colors of a building that was originally built in the 1930s wasn't easy. All the photos of the building were black and white. Designers used a computer program, similar to the one Ted Turner uses to colorize black and white films, to colorize the photos. Five different samples were completed and community members who came to the theater in the 1930s were asked to choose the closest rendition. The current design of the theater was the general consensus by all. "It is really very shocking when you first see it," said Riordan, referring to the bright colors of the Art Modem period interior.

Wall scrapings were taken to determine the original color of the walls so it could be perfectly matched. The wall sconces were recreated from one original found in a back room. The colorful carpet was specially made. And the neon lights of the ceiling were perfectly crafted to capture the original glow.

But not everything is exactly like the original. In 1937, the theater had 613 seats. The current theater designers decided to widen the aisles and use seats from the 1940s, which are wider than those of the 30s. The theater also put in a handicapped-seating area, reducing the amount of seating to 385. And of course, there is a concession stand. "We tried to be true as we could to the original," says Peterson, "and one of the biggest debates was the concession stand. Back in the 1930s they didn't have concession stands." In an attempt to stay exactly like the original, the theater staff attempted selling concessions out of the aisles, but soon discovered a concession stand was a better option. It was then added to the theater.

"We view the success of the theater as indicative of the success of the downtown."

The restoration was completed and the first movie was shown in October 1994. It was Singin' in the Rain, a true classic. The theater was immediately a success and earned the Preservation Project of the Year award from the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois in 1996. The theater even won the award over larger projects, such as the Buckingham Fountain in Chicago, because of its grassroots funding efforts. "It was a small project that had a big impact," says Karraker, "There was a lot of local involvement and volunteerism.

"In so many community projects, people get excited about them and then after awhile they tend to drift away. That just hasn't happened here." After 9-1/2 years, the theater is still never short of volunteers. The theater continues to be mostly self-supported, bringing in enough funds through its $5 admission and $1 concessions to pay for itself.

The theater is able to save money by hiring only a manager, relief manager and two projectionists. All other help for the theater comes from the more than 50 volunteers, who receive free popcorn and may watch the show for their efforts. Riordan says, "They are the best employees you could ever have, and they aren't paid."

And downtown Normal is benefiting from the theater as well. "It brings people downtown. I think if the theater hadn't done so well, we would have seen a lot more deterioration in the downtown area," says Peterson.

Now the city is planning a major reconstruction of the downtown area. Normal is adding a children's museum, a plaza, a transportation center and a hotel conference building. Plans are being made for expanded retail and office buildings and an all new infrastructure for the downtown area.

"We view the success of the theater as indicative of the success of the downtown. It's basically the same principle. If you go in and do things right, people will support you," says Karraker.

But for now, the main draw for the area is the Normal Theater. The community has saved a part of its past that will enhance its future. "There were a lot of memories in this building previously and I think we're building a lot of memories now, and that's great. There are just so many wonderful stories," says Karraker.

And memories will continue to be made here because of the partnership of a town and its residents. For Normal, it's showtime!

The Normal Theater is located at 209 N. St., Normal, IL 61761. For more information call Dawn Riordan at (309) 454-9720 or for current listings call (309) 454-9722. The Web site, www.normaltheater.com contains directions to the theater, photos of the restoration process, movie listings for the next several months and more. For information on other restored cinemas in Illinois, visit http://cinematreasures.org/theaters.

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