We are excited to return to the Allen Theatre in Annville, PA for our 2024 Spring Growers Meeting. We met here 2 years ago as we came out of the isolation of the pandemic and it was a delight. Located at 36 East Main Street in Annville, the theatre was originally known as the Hippodrome in the early 1900s. Later known as the Aster theater the story of this small-town theater on Main Street is similar to the stories of many of its kind. Small and serving a rural community it operated as a second-run theatre, declining in the ’60s and ’70s with the rise of malls and shopping centers it was forced to close down in the ’80s.
That could have been the end of this story but in the early nineties, the fates smiled on
Annville and its closed-down theatre. A local grandmother, Mary Jane Hicks (1915-2006) won the Pennsylvania State Lottery and funded the restoration of the theatre and adjoining café under the direction of her son Skip. The theatre was reopened as the Allen Theatre on September 21, 1995, in memory of Skip’s father, Allen Hicks who had passed away in 1981. The Allen Theatre provides a nostalgic experience with all the perks of a modern facility including a cool cafe and very comfy seating.
Annville is one of those charming small towns that dot the rural landscape of Pennsylvania. Located in Lebanon County, east of Hershey, PA, and north of Lancaster, PA. It is home to Lebanon Valley College. Parking is free and we will be providing a map to help with that.
PARKING: Free public parking is available.