Owned and operated by the Thompson family during the late ‘60s through the early '80s, The Lido Theater was the first theater in the Skagit Valley to install Dolby Sound gear. Seating 435 patrons with additional viewing from the owner’s office upstairs as well, it was a great place to grow up. My father ran the theater from the late '60s until his untimely death in 1975. From then, his father, also a theater man, ran it until it was sold in the early 80’s. I will always remember the very large and thick glass front doors, there were 9 of them I think, and the scary furnace in the basement area under the stage/screen. I had several birthday parties there and was always able to bring grade school class mates on a school field trip until the third grade. The old carbon arc projectors were always a fascination to me. Never did get the chance to actually run a show, but dad alwasy let me through at least one of the “cutover” switches if I was there with him.
Owned and operated by the Thompson family during the late ‘60s through the early '80s, The Lido Theater was the first theater in the Skagit Valley to install Dolby Sound gear. Seating 435 patrons with additional viewing from the owner’s office upstairs as well, it was a great place to grow up. My father ran the theater from the late '60s until his untimely death in 1975. From then, his father, also a theater man, ran it until it was sold in the early 80’s. I will always remember the very large and thick glass front doors, there were 9 of them I think, and the scary furnace in the basement area under the stage/screen. I had several birthday parties there and was always able to bring grade school class mates on a school field trip until the third grade. The old carbon arc projectors were always a fascination to me. Never did get the chance to actually run a show, but dad alwasy let me through at least one of the “cutover” switches if I was there with him.