The Clyde Made Me Move Here

Every now and then someone tells us that they decided to move to South Whidbey because of The Clyde. It’s not the only reason, of course, but it’s often a deciding factor.

Maybe it’s the fact that we show movies that you might not expect to see at a small-town theater. Ann Medlock and John Graham were here in 1984 on a cross-country scouting expedition for a place to move themselves and their Giraffe Project when they pulled a printed Clyde schedule from our box office window. “I was surprised that your list included all the movies I’d be trekking around Manhattan to see, and I began to think I could live here. By the time we got to the end of First Street, we were writing down the phone number on a For Rent sign. 29 years of movies later, I still won’t see a film elsewhere if it’s coming to the Clyde.”

Inn at Langley chef Matt Costello, another big-city transplant, echoes that, saying, “I’m not sure I would have made the transition to island life so easily without your midweek movies. The Clyde has kept me entertained and shown me new ideas. It has this depth of culture that can’t even be found in many big cities.”

For others, it’s the way we run the theater. Retired screenwriter and full-time movie buff Bill Kerby and his wife Paula were vacillating between Vashon and Whidbey when they first visited The Clyde. According to Bill, the decision was made as soon as he saw a tall skinny guy sneak out after the movie started and adjust the masking around the screen to improve the presentation. “I decided then and there that I wanted to live where someone cared that much about movies” Bill says, “This town is an embarrassment of riches, and The Clyde is at its forefront.”

For many newcomers, it’s not us, but you, that made the difference. Rose Hughes says, “I feel like I first got to know people here by seeing the same faces sitting around me each week at The Clyde.” That same cozy friendliness later helped her convinced her new partner Kennedy to make the move out to the island. “Now every Thursday when Kennedy comes home from her mid-week stays in the Big City, “ Rose says, “she requests the same dinner–Clyde popcorn with whatever friends happen to show up and no matter what’s playing.”

Former New Yorker Marilee Seligson told us that she and Hal knew this was the place for them when they visited Whidbey for the first time. “Standing in the ticket line at the Clyde, we were truly bowled over by the many different esoteric discussions we overheard. We bought our building lot and moved here six years later when we were able to retire.” And Melissa and Henry Lebo wrote us, “As newcomers to South Whidbey, your theater has done more than you can imagine to help us settle here.”

So don’t forget, when you’re touting the wonders of living on Whidbey to your far-flung friends, that The Clyde may be just the thing to tip the balance.