State Theatre offering curbside pickup of popcorn while building remains closed

WASHINGTON - Shawn Simpson was the hero of his household when he stopped by the State Theatre for a curbside pickup of popcorn last Friday.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the oldest continuously running theater in the world has been shut down, but staff has found an innovative way to stay a part of the community by offering curbside pickup of popcorn, kettle corn, snacks and soda on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Theater manager Crystle Christner said the popcorn to-go began Friday, March 27, about 10 days after the theater was shut down due to COVID-19 concerns.

The idea was her own, she said, and one she had to fight for. When Christner first approached corporate at Fridlay Theatres, the company which owns and operates the State Theatre, she was turned down. However, after corporate officials spoke with other theaters in the association, Christner was given the green light to try it out.

'Washington really loves the popcorn and I think this gives them hope that we are all still here and are all in this together,” she said of why she wanted to offer the service.

On an average weekend, Christner said the theater can sell as many as 400 large popcorns and now that kettle corn is being offered the orders are increasing.

Due to an increase in orders, Christner set up a temporary additional phone number to ensure all orders are received. With just three people working at a time, it can get hectic but the positive customer response has made it all worth it, she said.

'They keep trying to tip us. We're not used to that,” she said with a laugh.

Being the oldest continuously running theater in the world, Christner said the new service adds to the charm of the theater.

'Our community is amazing. They love the popper and they love the popcorn. It's just people doing what we can do,” she said.

The popper has been running since 1948, she said, and is what brings people in. For many customers it brings a sense of nostalgia from before the theater was remodeled.

In 2010 a fire destroyed the inside and the building was going to be written off as a loss and a new multiplex was to be built in town, she said. However, the community rallied together to show support for the building and a remodel was completed in May 2011.

'Our community is really what saved the building,” she said.

Even for those not originally from Washington, the theater is a place of pride.

Originally from Nebraska, Shawn Simpson moved to Ainsworth, just south of Washington, about 10 years ago. Coming to the theater has been a habit for him and one he often talks about.

'I tell all my friends back in Nebraska they need to come here for a movie,” he said.

Before his visit on Friday, April 24, Simpson had never tried curbside pickup. However, because he was in town picking up groceries for his mother, he decided to stop by and get her a surprise as well.

'I'm going to be a hero,” he said with a laugh.

While some chose to pickup popcorn on a whim, others have been carefully planning their trips. Denise Horak, of Washington, has made it a tradition to stop by.

'This has been a weekly thing since I work right next door. We love that they're open for us,” she said. 'We can't wait for them to open soon so everybody can get back to their normal lives and enjoy this greatness that we have here in town.”

Horak said by the theater being open and serving the community, even just by selling concessions, it shows the strong bond and connection between businesses and customers that makes Washington unique.

'It's amazing. It shows the support this theater has for this community and that every businesses just wants everyone to make it,” she said. 'Everybody wants every businesses to succeed, I mean why wouldn't you? We are all from here, we love it here and this is our town. Washington rocks and we want it to be here.”

Christner said responses like those show what the theater means to the community and shows the importance of the new service.

'A lot of people consider us a place that feels like coming home. They come in here and are comfortable and enjoy watching the movies so for them to come and get popcorn, they still have that (tie) with the community,” she said.

For Sonya Love-Smith, of Crawfordsville, the theater is a second home on weekends especially. Before quarantine, her family attended movies consistently but since the closure, they have adjusted to stopping by for a weekly popcorn fix instead.

'We love coming here to this theater,” she said, adding she even has her own special order, ‘the heart attack'. 'They're great people and we love helping them out.”