PART II
Long-awaited McHenry movie theater reopens downtown By ALLISON HORNE Photos by NANCY MERKLING Those anticipating the long-awaited opening of the McHenry Downtown Theater don’t have to wait anymore – it’s finally here after being closed since 2014. The theater, located at 1208 N. Green St., held a grand opening Jan. 18 and featured showings of “Paddington 2” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” The reopening of the theater has been in the works since February 2017, when McHenry City Council members approved plans for the building. The $1.5 million project included a roof replacement, wall and floor work and other building improvements. There is an arcade and three movie screening rooms: The first has 113 seats; the second has 133 seats; and the third has 60 seats, which is expected to debut several weeks after the grand opening with a showing of “Black Panther.” The small theater will be used for smaller film screenings and private parties. In addition to films, there is a full concession stand (with bottomless popcorn and Pepsi) that also features gourmet popcorn made in-house. Cheddar cheese and caramel corn are a few of the flavors offered. (January featured cheddar bacon popcorn as the flavor of the month.) McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett was the primary investor in the project before he decided to open it up to a community-owned model. There are 28 local residents
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OUT & ABOUT
invested in the project. The theater also is doing an engraved brick wall, and for $75, community members’ names can be permanently cemented into a wall of the building. “A few of these investors are people that have never had the opportunity to live the American dream and now they have a chance to do just that,” Jett wrote on the theater’s Facebook page. “This just shows how many people in our community [want] to see this downtown become vibrant again. I am so proud to be a part of this great city and look forward to continuing the revitalization efforts of our downtown.”
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