Sunday was rainy and cool, a perfect afternoon to go to the movies. For as long as I can remember, I've loved going into a theater and setting in the dark with the man I was lucky enough to marry!
The old Lyric in Harrison was where we watched Rosemary's Baby and True Grit, it's still there but now is home to The Ozark Arts Council.
Forty years ago we bought popcorn and cokes from this snack bar. The seats, the stage, the screen... all the same. Even the clock on the wall advertising Lena Frances Flower Shop where I worked is still there!
One of the most fascinating things about the Lyric's history are the murals on the walls of the auditorium. Painted by hobos, they were done during the Great Depression in exchange for food and shelter.
In America, the true hobo was basically a hard working man of many trades and many talents who wandered the country in search of work. He laid and repaired railroad track, harvested wheat, cut down trees, mined for gold, herded cattle, built bridges and then moved on. When the Depression hit this country and the times swung from prosperous to destitute, these hard times produced the hobo that we often think of today.
Seven rows back, four seats over... that's where we held hands almost every Saturday night!
Awwwww, a trip down memory lane. How cool is that the theatre is being preserved the way it was. Lucky little town. Most of those old beauties are torn down.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky to get these pictures when we made a trip to Harrison in 2011. The old theater where we used to see movies is now a community theater, perfect for productions. It's a way to save the old buildings and preserve history and memories!
DeleteSo glad it has been preserved....the one where I grew up burned down and how I would love to see it again.
ReplyDeleteIt felt funny going inside there, a good feeling of reliving a part my life. Some people see old building as an eyesore, but preserved they can breathe again and add so much to a downtown area.
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