MOWEAQUA — Managing a fleet of tour buses that travel across the country, all while making sure the thousands of passengers that ride them are happy, can create nerves of steel.
Timi Kaufman, founder of Timi's Tours, studies the Broadway League's 2026 Star of Touring Broadway Award she had just received.
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Timi Kaufman was one of five recipients of this year's Star of Touring Broadway Award given by the Broadway League.
The staff at Timi’s Tours was able to keep the secret for nearly a month before they surprised her with the national award.
Remember these? Decatur's theater history
Varsity Theater
1941: The Varsity Theater cost $125,000 to build and opened in April 1941 in the 1100 block of West Wood Street.
Varsity interior
1941: The Varsity Theater had a seating capacity of 932. A blackout lighting system was used to illuminate the murals on the side walls of the interior.
Empress Theater
1960: The Empress Theater was in the Corbett-Moran Building on the corner of North Water Street and North Street. The building was constructed in 1911, and it was demolished in 1962. The theater was a vaudeville house.
Empress interior
1942: The Empress Theater had a curved balcony. The ushers are Carroll Bergin, left and Donald Dye. The building was demolished in 1962.
Lincoln Theater
1977: The Lincoln Theater, 141 N. Main St., hosted the much-touted science-fiction movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
Lincoln interior
1980: The Lincoln Theatre interior is shown. The stage held some of the nation's top stars of vaudeville, movies and live entertainment in its heyday.
Lincoln Theater Christmas party
1966: Millikin National Bank hosted a Christmas party for 1,000 children at the Lincoln Theater.
Drive In theatre
1948: The Drive In Theatre was situated between North Jasper and North Woodford streets.
Drive In ticket window
1948: A steady stream of cars passed through the ticket windows of the Decatur Drive-In. An estimated 200 cars were turned away on opening night.
Rogers Theatre
1982: The outside of the Rogers Theatre in the 1100 block of East Wood Street is shown.
Rogers night manager
1981: Rogers Theatre night manager Joe Mueller.
Avon Theatre
1979: The Avon Theatre had picketers for the movie "The Life of Brian." They opposed the movie because they said the Monty Python film was a mockery of the life of Jesus Christ.
Avon Theatre projectionist
1960: Avon Theatre veteran projectionist Dick Curtis is shown at work.
Alhambra Theatre
1958: The Alhambra Theatre was sold to Kerasotes Brothers Theaters Inc. The building was in 1000 block of North Water Street. The building was used as an indoor golf course, dancing palace, church, warehouse and a movie theater. The building was demolished in 1976 and replaced with a shopping center.
Bond Theater
1943: The Bond Theater was at 312 N. Water St. The building used to house Morrow Theater, too, and had a complete interior remodel.
Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR
Donnette Beckett
"Together Decatur" Columnist and Food/Drink Reporter
