I grew up in a family passionate about movies. We bond over many things, but the conversations always end up at what is coming out soon or our most recent watch. I love watching all sorts of movies, but we all have our favorites to watch together. Whether it be classic cinema with my mom, action and comedy with my dad, or adventure and sci-fi with my brother, we all agree that movies are our common ground.

Enter scene: The Dietrich Theatre.

I love taking my friends and family to the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock because of its rich history and emotional connection to the community.

Cut to 1936. The Dietrich was built and showed movies until the late 1980’s, when it couldn’t compete with big name movie theaters. Then in 1998, a group came together to make the sequel and continue the story. The Dietrich theater got the green light and re-opened in 2001 as a non-profit organization and is still open today.

The Dietrich shows a variety of blockbuster, foreign, independent and classic movies.

In addition, they have film festivals, live theater, concerts, workshops and various art and performance classes.

The theater holds so many memories for me, like when I was in elementary school, my mom surprised me and my brother by taking us out of school early to see our favorite Christmas movie “Elf.” I hosted many of my birthday parties at the Dietrich as a kid as well. My friends and I always had a blast watching a movie and partying afterward. My picture was even put up on the screen before the movie with a happy birthday message. One of my favorites was seeing “13 going on 30” for my thirteenth birthday.

Now Showing — Childhood Nostalgia

I still frequently visit the theater as often as I can. The Dietrich’s history and classic movie theater aesthetic makes you feel like you just stepped out of a DeLorean going 88 miles per hour.

Featured image (top) courtesy of Jessica Atkinson.