During our first (and most likely ONLY) major freeze of the year there were over 80 wrecks and I'm embarrassed to admit that- while out reporting on the wrecks- I was one of them. Because of a back and neck injury that I received during that wreck I haven't been able to go back to work. And since I'm not allowed to drive (my pain pills make me fall asleep randomly :) ) and haven't been at the newsroom I thought I'd stay in touch via my blog by telling you about some of my favorite places in Abilene.
If you've been in Abilene for a while you might recall the Abilene Duck Races held every summer. They went on for years but the last one was around 20 years ago, I barely remember them at all and the only reason I do is because of my fathers involvement. My dad, Dale Hembree, is a local veterinarian and used to reside as the Duck Doctor, or "Duc-tor" during the races. They were held in downtown Abilene and it must have been in July or August because it was always brutally hot during the races and everything took place outside, except for free cartoons that were shown in the historic Paramount Theater. I remember begging my mother to let us go in and cool down, but she would insist that we spend part of the afternoon outside with my father.
The fact that the Paramount was the only place that was air conditioned had little to do with my desire to go in (and the cartoons were even less appealing since I have never enjoyed them), the real reason that I could not wait to get inside was the theater itself. If you haven't been inside, I can't encourage you enough to go a watch a movie or catch a play.
The Paramount was built in the 1930's and is a great display of the grandeur of that time period. The inside and outside feature a Spanish-Moorish interior architecture, including gold inlay cravings surrounding the stage- but that's not the best part. Somewhere, usually about halfway through what ever show you are enjoying you will glance upward and completely forget about the show you are watching. The ceiling is midnight blue with clouds that float across the ceiling, with twinkling stars appearing between the clouds (okay-they're lights not stars-but have some kind of an imagination!). It's breath taking, and the closest thing I will ever get to seeing the enchanted ceiling at Hogwarts.
I'm a history buff, so if the history of the Paramount hadn't already won me over, the ceiling would have.
The Paramount operates year round often showing classic and new movies and houses numerous live performances....it's even been used to make short movies including one called 'The Dummy' in-which a ventriloquist dummy comes to life, and yours' truly has a cameo in it. It's an awesome movie (despite the fact that they misspelled my name in the credits) and I own the DVD if anyone wants to borrow it. :)
Till next time-Courtnee
The only time I was able to go to the Paramount was for the "Frontiering" unveiling and I thought it was so cool! I need to go back and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, let me just say that I am sorry about the wreck that you had, and I am praying for you to have a speedy recovery so that you may return to work soon.
ReplyDeleteNow as far as the duck races go, even though I was born and raised here in Abilene, I do not remember them. It sounds like it would have been a lot of fun to attend and watch. I'm sorry that I missed them.
I do, however, know the Paramount Theater and absolutely love it! I think it is a gorgeous building and I get so excited when I get the opportunity to go there for anything. There was even one time, before Christmas, that a friend and I were walking downtown and stopped and looked inside at their beautifully decorated Christmas tree. We went inside and the receptionist welcomed us to the Paramount and told us to feel free to walk around and explore. I was amazed that you could do this. I had no idea that they just allow people to come in during the daytime and walk around and enjoy its beauty! My friend and I stayed there about 2 hours before leaving. I got the pleasure of going back the next weekend with my 13 year old son to watch "It's A Wonderful Life", and yes, I caught myself glancing up at the clouds and the twinkling stars on more than one occasion during the movie. I also like it that you can take one of the beautiful staircases up to the balcony and view the beauty from above as well. Oh, and let's not forget about the staircase that you can take downstairs to the snack bar! Who would have ever thought about a snack bar in the basement? I don't know, maybe that's where all the theaters had their snack bars back then, but I have always thought that was one of the things that made the Paramount special.
I think you did a great job by picking the Paramount Theater to write about in your blog, and I guess you can tell that it's one of my favorite spots in Abilene as well! :)
Keep up the great work Courtnee!!
Sincerely,
D'Ann M. Stearns
I am not from Abilene, and I have to admit, that I am one of those who are complaining about there not being anything to do in Abilene. I will try some of your suggestions. Since I’ve been in Abilene for the last year and a half, I have watched the reporters and anchors come and go. Some of them are really bad. I hope you stay around for awhile. Jeff
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