08/18/2023
Farewell Rogers Park. The 400 served the community for 14 years : As home base from the BLM marches in RP, as a Covid testing center, as a banquet facility for local businesses, charities, and homeless shelters, as a restroom for the farmers market one year, and last but not least, as a 1st run movie theater. We sold over 1 million tickets, not a single one for more than $10. We hosted Jazz bands on the patio and put kids names on the marquee for their birthday parties, to make them feel special. We did blood drives and had film festivals. We had morning movies for young mothers with babies, and triva/game nights, summer camps outings, and so many other programs. Bella Tronou, of Togo, speaker of 3 languages, started as an usher at the 400 10 years ago, went on to become the GM of both The 400 and for about 8 years The Harper Theater as well, and I am so proud of her and the work she did. John Scaletta was also instrumental every step of the way and deserves to be mentioned by name. Sandi Price of RPBA was our MVP without which we would have most assuredly failed. A shout out to the memory of my great friend the late Tom Fencl whose wife Mary still runs The Davis Theater. That great man stepped up when the village theater had fallen into utter disrepair and opened up his world of contacts to so that The 400 had a shot at being successful, and for a time, thanks to him, it was. Likewise, for many years now, Maria Hadden has been an incredibly generous, loyal and active supporter of the theater. The Davis is the last small 1st run neighborhood theater in Chicago, and those of you who still like small neighborhood theaters to take up residence there, and to eat and drink and be merry because its perpetual existence is not guaranteed. Thanks to everyone who ever worked at the 400, or visited. Grateful to all.
