This weekend we saw Back to the Future screened free at the Portage Theater.  Can't pass up a deal like that, can you?

The Portage Theater marquee

The Portage is a historical theater that first opened in 1920, but eventually fell into decline and closed in 2001.  It's located in the Six Corners shopping district of Chicago as part of the Portage Park neighborhood.  In other words, it's been in my backyard since I was a kid.

Admit Two for free? Sure!

Thankfully, it reopened in 2006, and Amy & I were there to experience that awesome moment.  Since then, it's seen quite the resurgence, by becoming the home of the Silent Film Society of Chicago and the Northwest Chicago Film Society, as well as quite a few live events.  It was even featured in the 2009 film Public Enemies.

Inside the vintage Portage

Six Corners, named for the intersection of Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue, and Milwaukee Avenue, has gone through a tough time as a shopping district in recent years.  Consolidation in the banking and retail industries has hurt the number of businesses there, with Sears remaining as the largest anchor.

Marty is having an awkward dinner

It would seem, however, that the Six Corners Association, a chamber of commerce group, has been doing some nice things in recent years to try to revive the area.  They've established branding for "6 Corners" as well as gotten some street improvements, such as information boards and landscaping.  They've also been smartly using the Portage Theater as a central point to bring the community together for the betterment of the area.

6 Corners BBQ Fest is coming!

The Back to the Future showing was part of that initiative, with free tickets available from local businesses or online, encouraging folks to come together.  There they can promote events and happenings and get others involved; based on the large turnout at the movie, they had a lot of folks listening!  In this case, there was promotion for the new Six Corners BBQ Fest, which takes place June 18-19.  Live music, entertainment, and of course, good food.

Steve watches the movie... really!

Whoever is planning these things has got the right idea (though they really could use some help on the Web side of things… yikes!)  In fact, it was announced that there will actually be monthly free movies to help revitalize the area… the next is Independence Day on July 1.

We're on board with this idea and will probably look into ways that we can better help the resurgence of both the Portage and Six Corners.