“I have fond memories of going to movies at the Delavan movie theater when I was a child and would spend my summers in Delavan. I can still imagine the smell of the popcorn  and the wonderful ambiance. My fondest memory was seeing the movie Grease when it first premiered at this theater.”

“I spent time as a Projectionist there in the mid 70’s, following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather. I remember when it was one big auditorium, and we had to change out the screen. The one we replaced was the original “Silver Screen” that had been painted over white.”

I was an employee of the theater in 1983 and 1984 as a senior in DDHS and college freshman during vacation. It was owned by Essaness then. At that time, managers lived upstairs in the apartments. Sometimes, we worked at the sister theater in Lake Geneva. Blockbuster movies at the time were Ghostbusters and Against all Odds.

It was a fun job. I referred my friends and family to work there. One memory is that I accidentally set the popcorn machine on fire. We had to add the prices and make all change in our heads for the concession stand. (I’d challenge today’s theater employees to do so.) As employees, we could snack on popcorn and soda, but candy had to be bought. We were responsible for the marquee, tickets, concessions and ushering. We had actual customer service training as a group in person in northern Illinois. We were encouraged to sell as much as possible.

I remember coming here as a kid with my siblings, the smell of popcorn and the night sky overhead. There’s not many of these theaters left. I knew I had to try and save it, I just couldn’t let it die. It’s just magical.