Apollo Theatre

October 30 we caught a show at Peoria's Apollo Theatre, which I've wanted to do for ages.
The main feature was Vincent Price's "The Tingler", a black and white film from 1959.
Admission was just $5 each and we received some candy and popcorn and sodas were also available. I see now on their site that $5 is a suggested donation, and had I known that, I would have gladly paid more.
We were treated to an old Red Riding Hood cartoon, an episode of "Thriller" (a 1960s TV series), and then we got to enjoy "The Tingler".
The Apollo opened in 1914 and showed movies for more than 40 years. For several years now the theater has been used to show classic, foreign and independent films.
Once inside you can see much of the Art Nouveau grace the theater shared with so many entertainment fans over the decades.
We have also heard a couple of people talk about private parties they have attended at the Apollo, which sounds like a blast.
I thoroughly enjoyed our evening and will be keeping an eye on their future events.

Spirit of Peoria

I've always thought it would be fun to attend a murder mystery, so when I saw that the Spirit of Peoria was hosting one this fall, I called and bought tickets.

Some history from their web site reveals: "The Spirit of Peoria was built in Paducah, Kentucky in 1988 by Walker Boat Yard. It is solely propelled by its stern driven paddle wheel. The wheel, composed only of fiberglass and wood, has 68 bucket boards and is 22 feet in diameter. The paddle wheel is powered by two Caterpillar 3412 diesel engines that turn 350kw generator sets."

We boarded, were shown to our seats and learned that we were guests at the Sheridan family anniversary party, and were seated with none other than Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan, the guests of honor.

After being greeted by our captain, we learned that nine paddle boats shut down this year and that the Spirit of Peoria is the only one currently offering overnight cruises.

Our seating location made for an interesting evening as throughout our prime rib buffet dinner we were able to chat with and pick up clues from the Sheridans and their guests who stopped by the table.

Soon, the dastardly deed was committed and we had to take our best guess at who the culprit was.

The show was put on by the Champaign Urbana Theater Company, and all involved did a great job.

Only seven people on board guessed the murderer correctly, and my husband and I were not among them.

We especially enjoyed the atmosphere of the boat, and look forward to boarding again sometime soon in the warmer months so we can enjoy being out on deck.

The Spirit offers many cruises and excursions throughout the year, as well as some upcoming holiday events.

Peoria Players Theatre

We took in our first show ever at Peoria Players Theatre this month, Man of La Mancha.

I had ordered tickets ($17 each) from their web site and paid online, so we stepped up to the ticket windows to pick them up prior to our show. One of the windows was being manned and a woman was picking up tickets, and the other was currently unmanned.
As soon as an employee stepped up to help the next customer, a woman who had just stepped up behind us blurted out that she needed to get her tickets right away, before they were given away. Sure, OK, and I'm standing here hoping that mine will be given away. But no worries, once her crisis was over and she had her tickets, ours were soon in hand and we stepped into the theatre to find our seats.

The seats were nicely upholstered and posh, perhaps a little too posh for a Sunday afternoon, as I became a bit drowsy sitting there.
The 16th century stone prison vault set was quite impressive, especially to my husband, who loves to create Halloween props each year.
Once the show began, there was no way I wanted to doze in the comfy seats, as I didn't want to miss any of the show.

Man of La Mancha is a musical that tells the story of the mad knight Miguel de Cervantes (Don Quixote).
This tax collector has been imprisoned by the Spanish Inquisition, along with his entertaining servant Sancho. They have brought all their possessions with them into the dungeon where they are attacked by their fellow prisoners who set up a mock trial. If found guilty, the knight will have to hand over all his possessions.
Cervantes falls for Aldonza, a kitchen maid he calls Dulcinea. He sends her a letter via Sancho, and the token she returns for him is an old dishrag, which he cherishes.
I was impressed with many of the musical numbers performed by the cast, my favorite probably being "Little Bird, Little Bird".
The casting was great, from Sancho to Don Quixote to the Duke, and we had a very enjoyable time. We've already discussed a couple of the upcoming 2009-10 season shows we would like to see.
Man of La Mancha continues through May 10. If you've been thinking about seeing it, I would suggest getting tickets a.s.a.p., as the showing we attended ended up being sold out.

Peoria Players, organized in 1919, is the oldest continuously running community theatre in the state. The theatre is located at 4300 N. University Street in Peoria.

Didley's Place

I'm waiting for April 15, which won't be long now, so I can check out Didley's Car Hop in Metamora. We have driven by on our way to Smiley's in LaRose, so we couldn't stop there to eat, but the place looks fun.
The menu features shakes, floats, root beer, burgers, tenderloins, hot dogs, tamales, chicken and more, so there's plenty to choose from. And it's the best looking Morton building I've seen!
They also have mini golf and an outdoor movie theater, plus a street rod shop, so there's plenty to do on a nice day. For movie info and more, visit http://www.didleys.com/.

Conklin's Barn II Dinner Theater

Something we've just started doing in the last five years or so is going to the Barn II in Goodfield for dinner and a live show. You won't go hungry with this dinner buffet featuring prime rib, fried chicken, soup, salad, bread and sides plus dessert, and you can always be sure they'll have your favorite alcoholic beverages at a great price, because you can bring them yourself (they don't sell liquor).
We always stick to the humorous shows, and we've never left without plenty of laughs. This is a true barn setting, and during intermission you can wander outside and visit the barn cats or wander across the road and visit the cows.
This place is popular, so be sure to call for reservations. Visit them online at http://www.barn2.com/.

Blue MoonLight Drive-In

The former Galesburg Drive-In was reopened in 2005 as the Blue MoonLight Drive-In, 2875 West Main St.

If you don't remember drive-in theaters from your youth, that's a sad thing. The good news is, there seems to be a resurgence in drive-ins. This one takes the cake, serving such delights as tortilla pizzas, tex-mex and pizza paninis, subs, homemade ice cream sandwiches, and, of course, popcorn.

There's nothing quite like watching a movie at a drive-in. It truly says summer!