Historic Avalon Theater reopens

After 14 years, the lights are back on, and so is the popcorn machine at the Avalon Theater.

Dozens filled the old Bayview landmark for the grand reopening Thursday night.

\"I've been dreaming about this since I moved back to Milwaukee,” said Stefanie Melo, one of those in attendance to see “The Hobbit.”

As they sat back in the new leather recliners and marveled at the trademark ceiling full of stars, it was a night of nostalgia for many patrons.

\"I've already taken a picture and put it on Facebook!” said Melo.

This was an especially significant night for Ruth Simos, who still remembers walking into the Avalon as a little girl when it first opened in 1929.

\"I'm glad they didn't change it, because if you've ever been to the theatre, which most of the people in Bayview have, you remember all those things,\" Simos said.

She also remembers paying just 10 cents to watch a movie each Sunday during the Great Depression.

\"It was the age of movies, that's what we did for entertainment,\" Simos said.

The restored theater still has many details that bring back memories, but it also now offers a full food and cocktail menu, breathing new life into a historic theater that many thought would be closed for good.

\"I'm so happy, because I really thought, I might not get to see it,” Simos said.