Unveiling Marion's Gems: The Lincoln Theatre's Legacy and Appalachian Adventures

What Else Is There To Do While Visiting The Lincoln Theatre in Marion, Virginia?

Executive Director Bob Watkins takes us on a captivating journey through the history and ongoing legacy of The Lincoln Theatre, a cultural gem in Marion, Virginia. Uncover the secrets of this Mayan revival masterpiece, which opened its doors in 1929, as Bob highlights its enduring role in the regional entertainment scene. From its grand performances to its community-centric mission, The Lincoln Theatre remains a beacon of arts and history. Bob not only shares anecdotes from the theatre's storied past but also offers insights into what makes it a must-visit destination for culture enthusiasts in Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, and Western North Carolina.

But the adventure doesn't stop at the theatre's threshold. Marion and its surroundings boast a treasure trove of experiences waiting to be explored. Let Bob be your guide as he introduces you to local highlights such as Hungry Mother State Park and the artistic pursuits at the Wayne Henderson School of Appalachian Arts. Discover the charm of Marion through its local breweries, distilleries, and the historic General Francis Marion Hotel, each adding a unique flavor to this Appalachian haven. Whether you're planning a quick visit or a leisurely weekend escape, Bob's recommendations promise to enrich your stay with history, culture, and a touch of nostalgia.

To learn more about The Lincoln Theatre go to:
https://www.thelincoln.org/

The Lincoln Theatre
117 E. Main Street
Marion, Virginia  24354
276-783-6092

To learn more about The Lincoln Theatre visit:
https://www.TheLincoln.org/
The Lincoln Theatre
117 E. Main Street
Marion, Virginia 24354
276-783-6092

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to On Stage with the Lincoln Theater, where
history and entertainment stealthe show Dive into the rich
legacy of this iconic Mayanrevival theater, from its 1929
debut to its starring role inMarion, Virginia's entertainment
scene.
Guiding us through this journeyis the man in the spotlight,
our executive director, BobWatkins.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Planning a trip to the Lincoln Theater?
Let's explore the fun andquirky activities waiting for
you in Marion Virginia, beyondthe spotlight.
Welcome back everyone.
Skip Monty, co-host slashproducer, back in the studio
with Executive Director BobWatkins.
Bob, how's it going?
It's going great.
Skip, it's going great.
How are you doing?
I'm doing just fine.

(00:53):
I'm doing just fine.
Glad to be back in the studio.
So, bob, we've got listenersall across the region, southwest
Virginia, east Tennessee andWestern North Carolina and
beyond.
So for those of us who mightwant to make a day trip or even

(01:14):
a weekend visit to the theater,what else is there to do while
visiting the Lincoln and MarionVirginia?

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Nestled away here in our Appalachian Hills.
We have quite a few activitiesthat you can do, depending on
what you wanted to travel aroundto do around here Locally in
Marion, there's a lot ofdifferent activities that you
can do.
We have Hungry Mother StatePark, which I believe is the
second highest visited statepark in the state of Virginia.
It has an enormous amount oftrails, biking trails, hiking

(01:41):
trails that go through there,camping, fishing the lake, as
well as some of their differentevents.
Hunger Mother Festival is goingon out there and there's the
arts festival that goes on outthere every year as well.
In downtown we have the WayneHenderson School of Appalachian
Arts.
It's a historical schoolhousefrom 1908, and it houses all

(02:02):
kinds of different events.
A luthier program that isactually led by Wayne Henderson,
so you build a guitar withWayne Henderson in the shop
there.
They do some stained glassprograms and barn quilt painting
and all kinds of Appalachianarts to get people back in the
history there.
A lot of artistic work aroundhere with the Ford Studio, the

(02:23):
Appalachian Spirit Gallery, togo ahead and see some art that
is displayed, as well asparticipate in some pottery work
and do some things of your own.
Then, of course if you want toenjoy the taste of the
Appalachian Hills you can go tosome of the local breweries and
distilleries.
We have the 3650 Brewerydowntown here in Marion as well

(02:45):
as the Highland DistilleryCompany outside of Marion just a
little trek up 16.
And Davis Valley Winery andDistillery is located just past
Atkins, there towards ruralretreat.
So real quick trips to go anddo some stuff there.
And if you want to extend outinto Smith County with about a
15 to 30 minute road trip youcan go into Chill Howie with

(03:08):
some of their local festivalsand events that they do.
It's a nice little small pointtown there that you can go ahead
and see some of the stuff goingon there.
And up the road to Saltvilleyou can see the history of that
company town there.
So you can go through and seethe history through the Museum
of Middle Appalachia.
It's a fantastic museum.

(03:29):
You can spend quite a bit oftime in there just diving into
the history of our area here.
So a lot of fun things to doaround the Smith County and
Marion and Chilhowee andSaltville there with some really
nice places to stay.
Just right beside us we havethe General Francis Marion Hotel
which was actually builtoriginally by Charles Lincoln,
the founder and the personresponsible for building the

(03:51):
Lincoln Theater.
So it's a nice tie-in to yourstay here to come to the Lincoln
Theater and see the hotel thatMr Lincoln built as well back in
the 1920s so lots of fun stuffto do around here.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
Now can you stay at the hotel?

Speaker 3 (04:05):
Oh yeah, I think they reopened in 2006, I believe
Renovated and fully renovatedwith the same old style key
entry.
We don't have the plastic cardsthat people use to get into
their room.
This is the good old fashionedkey entry for the door, so it
just takes you back into adifferent time for sure.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Oh wow, so you could make a weekend trip out of
within a block.
You could just go to EdwoodShow and stay at the hotel.
That's great.
I'm sure there's restaurantsright there.

Speaker 3 (04:34):
Restaurants up and down Main Street.
Here We've got a couple ofreally nice ones Wooden, pickle,
moondog, mcadoo's just withinwalking distance.
So a majority of all this stuff.
You can park your car at thehotel and you can walk the
weekend and not even have to getback into it, with a lot of
entertainment too.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Wow, it sounds like there's an awful lot to do there
.
You mentioned Wayne HendersonFor musicians.
He is a legendary guitarbuilder, so he built a guitar
for Eric Clapton, so that wouldbe something that would be on my
list for sure.

Speaker 3 (05:05):
On the book.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Mary in Virginia.
So is there a local legend?
Speaking of Wayne Henderson, isthere a local legend that we
should know about like a ghostthat prefers musicals?

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Well, we don't know of any ghosts that we have
walking around the theater oranything like that.
There is quite a few locallegend stories that you'll hear
around here.
I know Nolan Ryan.
He pitched here at a minorleague baseball team before the
Marion Mets back in the day.
Nolan Ryan was here in the areaand stayed in Marion for quite

(05:35):
some time with that as far asthe local legends.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
I don't know of any local legends that we have
roaming the streets in theirghost garb, but we have a lot of
history for sure.
Very good, well, I love it, bob.
It sounds like there's just anunlimited amount of things to do
, while in Marion, of course,the center of it all has to be
the Lincoln Theater, right?

Speaker 3 (05:56):
Absolutely.
We bring them in and everybodyelse goes ahead and fills the
rest of their time.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
That's right.
That's exactly right.
I love it, bob.
All right, we'll catch you inthe next episode.
Hope you have a great day.
Thanks, skip, you too.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
Thanks for tuning in to On Stage with the Lincoln
Theater.
Want more of Mary andVirginia's entertainment scene?
Visit us online atthelincolnorg yes, that's
thelincolnorg or drop by ourtheater at 117 East Main Street.
Let's keep the arts alive andkicking together.