Here come the screens

Seeing is believing. There is not just a hole in the ground on Main Street in Woodstock, but the walls for the new movie theater addition are going up. In case you have been wondering about the height of the new addition, drive up Main Street from the depot and take a look.

I liked the little hometown theater it was, when I moved to Woodstock in 1996. I think matinee prices then were $2.00. The popcorn was good; the floors were sticky. You know - all the memorable things about a small, hometown theater. Mostly, I remember the low ticket prices.

The area in the photo is where the small parking lot was. It's gone. It was only about 20 spaces, but ...

Classic Cinemas is a family-owned theater chain. Let's look forward to the opening of the new theaters and plan to support local business by seeing your movies right here in Woodstock. No need to truck over to Crystal Lake or Algonquin. While you're at it, plan to save a few sheckles to support other local businesses here.

Theater patrons, like any other shoppers or customers, will gobble up the nearest parking spaces and use them for 2-2½ hours (or longer). Be willing to walk a little farther to shop in the retail stores and dine in the restaurants on the Square. If you feel inconvenienced, tell the manager or owner; don't just go away mad. Then the owner can go to the City Council and bark about the lack of parking and loss of business.

If the theaters begin offering more midnight movie times, will the City have to adjust its 2:00-6:00AM parking ban, in order to avoid ticketing moviegoers? It's time to think about that now.