A to Z April Challenge: A is for Afton

Genealogists and family historians get a lot of satisfaction from chasing their ancestors’ stories. Finding a diary, a message on a postcard, or a photo with a name attached is like the sun coming out after a storm. One day we will be somebody’s ancestor. We need to leave our descendants a little bit of sunshine too. So here is my story told alphabetically: Growing Up in Cradock.

is for Afton.

Afton Parkway. Afton Square. Afton Theater.

I grew up in the 1950s-60s in a community called Cradock (more about that with the letter “C”) in Portsmouth, Virginia. Afton Parkway was the main road, sort of a divided “highway” on a smaller scale. It widened at Afton Square, the “downtown” of Cradock, where shops circled a small park. One of the main features at Afton Square was the Afton Theater.

The Afton Theater as it looked originally
from The Portsmouth Star

Everyone went to the Afton on Saturday afternoon. For 25¢ we could sit on maroon vinyl seats and enjoy a movie in an air conditioned theater decorated in that grand old theater style: painted murals on the walls and velvet curtains that parted to build our anticipation with a newsreel, cartoons, or other short subjects before the featured movie began. Popcorn was cheap. So were the Good & Plenty, Jujubes, Milk Duds, and Necco Wafers.

What movies I saw at the Afton slipped from memory long ago, but I remember the ladies’ restroom clearly. It had a vestibule with a picture window where you could continue watching the movie while your friend was “occupied,” so to speak. If the movie was REALLY good, we sometimes hid in the bathroom so we could slip back in and watch it again for free.

My friends and I routinely pulled that same trick at the three theaters downtown. We could ride the bus and stay all day if we wanted. It was perfectly safe and our mothers did not worry. Was it the State, the Colony, or the Commodore that featured “Parent Trap” (the REAL one with Haley Mills)? One of them lost money on me that day because we watched it two more times for free.

Speaker used in drive-in theaters
from wikimedia commons

I did not catch any free movies at the Super 17 Drive-in although it was common for teens to hide in the trunk of their friend’s car to avoid the per-person charge. Going to the drive-in was a family outing for us. My sister and I would go in our pajamas and take pillows and blankets along. Daddy bought us some popcorn or Cracker Jacks at the concession stand. Then he attached that old speaker to the window and we waited for the movie to begin. The one movie I remember seeing at the Super 17 was “Dr. Zhivago.” The scenes in that movie just made me cold, so I snuggled into my blanket and fell asleep.

Commodore Theater
from wikimedia commons

Today the only movie theater from my childhood still thriving is the Commodore. It is a beautiful and historic building in the Art Deco style. The owner has tried to buy the old Afton to restore it like he did for the Commodore and make it a viable business once again, but he was denied. Non-profit groups have tried raising money to restore the Afton to show second-run movies or be a venue for Little Theater. Their efforts lost steam after a while and the groups died out. The fact of the matter is that the Afton is probably just too far gone. The roof has collapsed and weeds and animals have taken over.

The old Afton Theater
image from Google Maps

Pretty much all that is left is good memories of Saturdays with popcorn and a second show for free.

I advise you to advance to the A to Z April Challenge where you are assured of amiable company among the most affable artists and authors.

© 2016, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.