It has been eighteen weeks since RC Theatres shut down The Frostburg Cinemas 123.  The theatre was built in 1979 and RC ran it for 34 years.  The 123 is a small town 3 screen theatre, it was always up to date until the late 2000’s.  By that time we had seating original to the 1980’s and old film projectors, our customer base started to drop off.  RC Theatres then put thousands of dollars into updating The Frostburg Cinemas 123 in 2011.  We received a new Radiant touch screen system, Digital projectors with 3D capability, new rocker seating, brand new screens, and a new sound system.  By the time the updates were complete it was 2013 and the customers had moved to our competition; the theater located in Lavale, Md.

            On August 13, 2014 I received a phone call from David Phillips the Vice President of RC Theatres; he stated that they were going to shut down The Frostburg Cinemas 123 in four days.  He stated that I could receive one extra week of severance pay if I was to keep quiet.  He then stated that Scott Cohen, the owner of RC Theatres, had originally planned on shutting The 123 down on December 31, 2013. 

            When RC Theatres promoted me to General Manager in November of 2013 I had 3 jobs.  I worked as a Call Operator, an Inventory Specialist, and was the Assistant Manager at The 123.  I quit my other two jobs thinking that I was entering into a stable career.  I contacted David about the company sending me a proof of income statement December 26, 2013 so I could purchase a new car.  RC Theatres then sent me proof of income 5 days before they originally planned on shutting down the theatre.  David Phillips and I were on a first name basis; he had known my mother for 15 years.  I was under the impression that RC Theatres and I had not only a work relationship but also a friendship.  I was wrong; they did not take me into consideration.  RC Theatres did not take any of its employees into consideration when they shut down The 123.  On September 18, 2014 RC Theatres broke ground on a new 12-screen movie theatre in Maryland.  They intend on spending millions of dollars to build a brand new theatre from the ground up.  David Phillips and Scott Cohen posed for a picture on their new theatre site with shovels in their hand and big smiles on their faces.  When only 2 weeks before they had left all of us from The 123 jobless and hopeless.  RC Theatres is now spending millions of dollars to start over when the theatre they had ran for 34 years only truly needed new flooring, updated bathrooms, and a better advertising plan to get back on its feet.  They abandoned all of their loyal customers and employees to create yet another multiplex.

            After the phone call in August with David Phillips I immediately fell apart.  I remember driving back to the theatre after that phone-call in tears.  I remember collapsing on the sidewalk outside of the theatre and crying into the arms of one of my employees.  I remember being unable to picture my life without The 123.  It only took me an hour to realize that action needed to be taken.  I went to Facebook and posted a status.  That status reached 26,080 people, had 218 likes, 57 comments, and 466 shares.  The people of Frostburg, MD had given me hope. They had given all of us at The 123 the hope that we needed to fight.  We spent hours calling local news and radio stations.  We started a petition on change.org and received 2,249 supporters.

            The day that RC Theatres officially closed down The Frostburg Cinemas 123 I felt robbed.  I had put 6 years of work into this theatre, my hands were the ones who operated this equipment but yet I had no choice in the matter. Our social media and news attention brought on the attention of Movie Heroes.  Movie Heroes is a movie theatre company based in California.  They were in the process of opening up over 30 theatres across The United States.  There were other companies interested in re opening The 123 but I chose Movie Heroes because I assumed it was the best choice.  Movie Heroes’ ideas were new and innovative, but just two men ran their entire company.  It was obvious that they did not have enough manpower to truly give us the attention that Saving The 123 deserves.  The employees and I had spent hours and hours handing out flyers and recording promotional videos in Movie Heroes name.  The day that Keith Walker from Movie Heroes had arrived you could tell that Movie Heroes had already given up on Saving The 123.  Saving all of their other theatres was easy, because they were located in big income communities in California.  Saving The 123 would take time and patience; anything worth fighting never comes easy.  But Movie Heroes did not give us that time; they ended the campaign 14 days before the true deadline.

            The company left The 123 and me feeling hopeless.  I had failed.  By this time it was September and I had given up.  I took a nod from fate and decided it was time for me to leave The 123.  But fate never caught up with me, I assumed another career would find me or that I would eventually be happy again.  But that day never did come and within the loss I found hope, hope to fight one more time.  I contacted Matthew Elliot from Berkeley Plaza Theare 7 located in Martinsburg, WV.  Matthew Elliot was very interested in re opening The 123.  The landlords and managers of The Frostburg Plaza have been in contact and are working out a deal to re open The Frostburg Cinemas 123 with Berkeley Plaza.  The new theatre would operate under the terms of their theatre in Martinsburg, WV; so we would be running similar promotions such as free popcorn day and free kids movies in the summertime.

            This deal is not yet official; Matthew Elliot stated to me that he is sure that he wants to re open The 123 as long as the landlords will work with him.  It all comes down to the owners of The Frostburg Plaza.  We need to show them that we don’t want The Frostburg Cinemas to stay empty.  That it will be worth it to give Berkeley Plaza the opportunity to re open The Frostburg Cinemas 123.  Allegany County has a population of almost 75,000 people; we need more than one movie theatre in our county.   

            Throughout my time of being unemployed since losing The 123 people have asked me why I haven’t given up.  They have asked why I haven’t moved on and put the past behind me; the answer to that question is simple.  I love The Frostburg Cinemas 123 and love is not something you give up on, love is something that you fight for.  Everyone who has ever stepped foot into The 123 knows that it is simply not just a movie theatre but it is a home.  Throughout my time as General Manager I treated every single customer that I spoke with as family.  I will never give up the fight for The 123 until The 123’s doors open again.  Frostburg Cinemas is an amazing theatre, it will take work to re open it but there is nothing more worth it to me than fighting for a cause that I truly believe in.

            To show support like us on www.facebook.com/FrostburgCinemas123 or sign our petition again at https://www.change.org/p/save-the-123-save-our-theatre  .