The Tyler Texas Foster Adopt Walkathon happened today.
There weren’t very many people there at Rose Rudman Park where the walk started.
There were a couple good speeches encouraging those in Tyler to foster and adopt children from the state.
The walk was around 1 1/2 miles and afterwards there was a bouncy house for children and some fruits and drinks for the walkers.
They also had a fund raising raffle where you could win a Wii game console.
Channel 19 was there so even though there was not a lot of people at the walkathon there was still a good get out the word publicity opportunity for fostering and adoption in Tyler Texas.
Every time I drive by Hollywood I am always surprised that there are cars there. Honestly, I am shocked that they are still in business. The theater used to be the popular place to go see a movie. Maybe that is because at one time it was the only theater. I remember the first time I walked into Hollywood theater as a young child. I was blown away by the large screen in the lobby and the colorful carpet. The screens used to be the largest I had seen. And the quality of film was great. Sadly nothing has changed.
As all the other theaters have changed to using digital projectors, Hollywood Theaters still uses the old film. The movies get sent to the theater in about five different reels of film. The projectionist puts the film together into one really large reel by using a strong tape. This process can be pretty easy but it is also easy to make a mistake. If you ever have been to the theater and all of a sudden the film turns upside down, whoever had put together the film, taped the reels wrong and did not match up the pictures on the reels. Also you may have been to the theater and the film jumps and all a sudden you can only see the top part of the movie because it is not centered, this is a very common mistake that is made. In-between reels the projectionist left a small gap. Even the smallest mistake in taping can make the movie messed up. But it is not very hard to correct these mistakes, it is just time consuming. When using digital movies these annoying mistakes do not happen and it makes the movie so much more enjoyable. Digital movies are so clear and you do not have to worry about complaining to a manager that your movie screen is just white.
One of the first things that you do when you walk into the theater is spend twenty dollars on popcorn, drinks, and candy. If you are spending so much money on snacks you want to get the best for your money. At one point the theater’s snack counter had the customer scoop the butter for your popcorn with a giant spoon out of an open hot container. This is in no way clean or sanitary.
Although there are a lot of issues at Hollywood Theater, my biggest issue is the nasty seats. The last time I had thought about going there I was about to bring trash bags to sit on. Usually the lights are really dim so that you can not see what you are about to sit in. The seats look like they are covered in a black tar. Every time I have gone to see a movie here I feel like I have to go home and take a shower and I can not enjoy the movie. The only thing that the employees do between show times is throw trash away and sometimes do a quick sweep. The floor is always sticky and the whole place has a weird smell.
At Hollywood Theater you can not enjoy your movie. You are paying all this money to feel frustrated and grossed out. Hollywood needs to get their chairs cleaned and their employees need to learn how to mop the floor. I may one day return to the theater if they start showing movies using digital projectors, and when they learn how to clean, but for now I will stick to going to the other two theaters in Tyler.
To tip or not to tip? The question of tipping the Sonic car hops has many different opinions and answers. Many people think that they should not tip because it is fast food and you are eating in your car. You probably will have to clean up your own trash out of your car. The car hops do not get paid minimum wage most of the time because they are expected to get tips.
I don’t really know where I stand on the issue. When I have sat in my car and the car hop brought my food out to me I usually give them a small tip like a dollar, I may give more if they actually still wore skates. When you are paying with a card at the drive up, you do not get the choice to tip. So if Sonic made it easy and clearer if you were suppose to tip the car hops, maybe more people would.
I am not a big fan of the Sonic food. There really are two reasons to go to Sonic: sand volleyball, and drinks. Many Sonics in Tyler do not have the sand volleyball court, or the play area. The only thing that those Sonics have going for them is the large selections of Sonic drinks and ice cream treats.
For some reason Sonic ice is the best ice around. The other night I was having a huge craving for a Sonic Snickers Blast. The Sonic was suppose to about an hour and half after I got there, but when I asked for my ice cream treat they had informed me that they already had shut down and cleaned the ice cream machine. This is a really annoying thing that fast food places do.
If the restaurant is not closed I expect them to serve everything on the menu. There really is no reason to go to sonic if they wont serve the menu that they claim they serve the WHOLE menu all day!
Did you know – Tyler even has a drive-in movie theater!
Sky Vue is north of Tyler on Hwy 69 (towards Lindale) just off loop 323.
Each night they show 2 movies, usually a G or PG perhaps followed by one of a more restricted age-range. The movies they show are all new releases with some old classics – just like a regular theater. There is one price for both movies but it is fine to leave after the first movie or come just for the second one – it is not difficult to get in or out of the field and there is always a 10 minute break between the films so you won’t be disturbing the viewers of the later film if you move your vehicle.
A visit to the drive-in is a fun family experience unlike other movie theaters in Tyler. First the excitement builds as you wait in the car line (not for long though) to pay. Then you pick your spot. We like to be quite close to the huge screen but not close enough to get neck-ache.
You can buy popcorn, drinks and other snacks at the consignment booth. They have pizza too. These items are very reasonable compared to other movie theatres. At the booth, they will also lend you some insect repellent in case you want to sit outside your car. I should add that there are also restrooms available on site.
We like to take garden chairs and blankets and sit outside our car. The kids have a wonderful time lying on a mat and snuggling up under their blankets watching the feature on the big screen in the sky. It’s great that they can wriggle and move round without disturbing people. I was able to take the baby to the movies too and even walk around a little with him and still not miss any of the film.
The sound is loud – but not too loud. It makes it all the more absorbing for the children. If you want to you can sit inside your car and tune in on the radio for your own private showing. I did that when I was pregnant and reclined the seat right back so I was super comfortable!
A visit to the drive-in is a bit weather dependent and obviously it is reliant on it being dark, so mid-summer is not the best time to go unless you want to stay up very, very late! But in the beautiful Texas spring and fall it is perfect for a good evenings entertainment.
A movie under the stars. Not just a family experience but for all you young lovers out there it is quite a romantic (and cheap) date! Prices – adults: $6 children: $4 under 5-free. This covers both films.
You can find out what films are showing next by signing up on their website to receive details of the upcoming showings at www.tylerdrivein.com
Tyler SKYVUE is our drive-in theater that is located at 10713 Hwy 69 North, Tyler, Texas 75706. Just three minutes north of Tyler’s Loop 323 and four minutes south of Lindale’s Interstate 20. The cost is $6 per adult and $4 per child that is 5-12 years old…younger than that are free. It’s a great place to go if you want to watch a movie, but in a different way. You get to watch two movies and they are newer releases. I enjoy going because you can take your own chairs and sit in the outside. You can comment on the movie, if you want and won’t get in trouble by talking in a closed room. You can also take whatever snacks and drinks you want, which saves you money. They have a place where you can buy snacks and drinks if you would rather than bringing your own.
Movies theaters are a great entertainment and how about a different experience with a drive-in theater? Going to an outdoor theater is very fun and interesting. You have to wait until it gets dark outside before they start the movies, which is usually somewhere around 7p.m. or so. They usually end by midnight or later because its two movies you are watching….so you get two for the price of one. Skyvue is a great place for you to go out and have some fun with your friends and/or family and not worry about going broke while you do it.
Skyvue isn’t far off, whether you live in Lindale or Tyler, it is worth the drive to see a movie. This makes a great gift…to pick up some friends and take them as a group to see two movies for the price of one, we did that and ended up having a blast and decided it was worth doing more.
