There aren't many small towns in East Central Illinois with their own movie theater. Hoopeston, fortunately for its residents and those nearby, still has its beloved Lorraine Theatre.

But there are no guarantees that the showplace, which has been a part of the northern Vermilion County community for 85 years, will be around much longer. It's been up for sale for some time.

The Lorraine has a new owner, Kevin Alvarez of Burlington, Wis. He has pledged, with the help of the community, to keep the theater open. The previous owner, Greg Boardman, did a virtual yeoman's service of maintaining the theater in his old hometown for the last 20 years, even installing a state of the art sound system and opening a second, storefront theater down the street.

Boardman will continue to operate the Art Theatre in Champaign. But care of the Lorraine now transfers to Alvarez – and to the people of the Hoopeston area. We hope they both realize what a treasure they have.