Maine Theater Celebrates 100 Years In Biz With 25 Cent Tickets

Like most places, the dominant entertainment choice in Maine during the first part of the 20th century was going to a movie.  At one time, there were hundreds of movie theaters in the state.  There were often several theaters, even in the state's smallest towns.

Like TV and streaming services are today, theaters were affordable entertainment for the masses.

This week, one Maine theater is turning 100 and celebrating by rolling their prices back to what they were in 1923!

According to an article on Maine's Fox 23 website, the day long birthday celebration will take place on Tuesday (February 21st) and will include a birthday cake, a chance to see some old movie memprabilia, and the screening of several old movies.

For only 25 cents, you'll have a chance to see the classic (and kinda' creepy) Lon Chaney version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".

They plan to screen several other movies from 1923 including Harold Lloyd’s “Safety Last”, the movie with that iconic scene where a guy hangs from the clock.  They also plan to show Charlie Chaplin’s “The Pilgrim,” featuring his Little Tramp character.

The birthday celebration will kick off a year of movies curated by a member of the Turner Classic Movies team.

The Strand is one of the oldest operating movie theaters in the country and it is the 3rd oldest in the state.  The only two theaters that predate the Rockland theater are Belfast’s Colonial Theatre, which opened in 1912 and Houlton’s Temple Cinema, which dates back to 1919.

Why are there so many theaters named "Strand"?  Is it like Warner Theaters, where they were all part of a chain?  It does not appear so.  According to a recent Reddit discussion, it appears the name is on so many theaters because "The Strand" was a street in London that was lined with theaters.  Basically, it was London's version of Broadway.  The name was, apparently, meant to bring to mind thoughts of the arts.  Just like today, if you want to make something sound fancy, you'd attach "5th Avenue", "Newberry", or "Rodeo Drive" to your business name.