IN THE NEWS-COLONIAL THEATER

I wrote this article for The Phoenix om August 19, 2005. Please read the update at the end...

I love Phoenixville. Born and raised here. Still live here and will probably die here. There's no place like Phoenixville.

A few favorite places during my childhood have faded away. Remember places like Grants department store? They had the best popcorn there! Charles Music Shop? Where you could get the latest 45s or LPs. Batts Toy Store? My first Monopoly game came from Batts. The Trio? They made the tastiest zeps!

Places that are gone, but never forgotten.

There is another Phoenixville favorite place that almost went extinct too, but resurrected, juts like the mythical Phoenix itself- the Colonial Theater.

What does the Colonial Theater have to do with a column about disabilities? It was one of the few movie theaters around when I was growing up that was accessible to a wheelchair. And this was way before the ADA law was enacted.

Because of it's street level entrance ( and exit, as the panicky audience did in the horror classic "The Blob", for which the Colonial will always be famous), it was easy access for a wheelchair. Sure, there weren't cut out sections of seats yet so you could sit in the middle of the theater. Had to sit in the back. But at least I could get inside without battling steps, as was the case in other theaters.

Drive-in movies were also an option, but they soon faded away, too. I saw "Bye Bye Birdie" at the Colonial (I was a big Bobby Rydell fan) and "Old Yeller" ( it made me cry)when I was  akid. The first summer blockbuster of the 1970s was "Jaws" and the Colonial was packed all summer.

My first "date" movie was the appropriately titled "Back to the Future" in 1085, which I will never forget ( for many reasons).

Then the Colonial closed, and I had to start going to movies in multi-screen complexes. They may have been more accessible, but not as much fun (and the popcorn wasn't as good).

Admittedly, I still frequent the bigger venues to see new movies. But there's nothing like the Colonial for its charm.Plus, it's affordable too.

I always imagined the Colonial being like our own little Keswick Theater or old Valley Forge Music Fair, bringing in big name acts to play. Unfortunately, lack of parking and other issues prevent this. But it's still cool to dream of The Temptations playing Phoenixville.

My only regret is not being able to see a movie in the balcony. That is the other advantage of the Colonial over these loud, gigantic theaters- the balcony! Who knows...maybe they will replay "Old Yeller" someday?

UPDATE: The Colonial Theater reopened shortly after this article appeared and it's been going strong ever since, featuring movies, both old and new, plays, musicals and concerts. The Colonial is currently being renovated and will  be new and improved come 2017- and for years to come.

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There is a documentary coming out in the fall called "Climb Higher,: which details mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer's 2004 return to conquer Mount Everest. In fact, Erik has scaled The Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each continent), plus places like the fiberglass Matterhorn at Disney World.

Remarkable achievements in themselves, made even more remarkable by the fact that Erik is blind.

Sorts Illustrated did a recent article on Erik and his amazing life. Be sure to check it out as well as the documentary. Another example of determination and will overcoming any obstacle.