Loma Theatre in Coloma Michigan

Coloma Michigan, where my family has been going for over 20 years has a lot of natural beauty.  Most of it involves Paw Paw Lake.  My parents bought their place up there in the late fall of 1989 and one of our first trips was in December.  Being a lake-town, the place was quiet and there wasn't a lot to do.  

But...like a beacon in the night, the Loma Theatre was open.  The neon sign wasn't working, the marquee was poorly utilized (lots of "5's" for "S's" and such) and the movies were second run at best.

I forget which movie we went to (as a family) that night, but I vividly remember walking into one of the 3 cramped theatres and seeing a section of seats roped off with yellow "caution" tape.  About half way through the movie we found out why the tape was there as a portion of the ceiling collapsed in and slammed to the floor.  The place was in rough shape.

Since then, I'm not certain what has happened, but the place has been transformed.  

The Loma now shows first run movies - they get them on release weeks in fact - and usually has something worth seeing.  They've also upgraded their facilities and, thankfully, there are no more leaky roofs.  

Most importantly, they've left the ticket prices very reasonable - $4/adult for a matinee and $5/adult at night and that price includes a free soda and popcorn (if you bring your own bucket!  yes....bucket!).  These buckets have shown up at my the lake house so each time before we go, we grab a pair of them and bring them along.  You "fix" your own corn, too.  So, if you want lots of "topping" - not butter, you can do that.  Or salt or whatnot.  Pretty great if you are a "layering" guy like myself.

Nat and I took the babe to see "When in Rome" there last week and while the movie was terrible, the experience of going to the movies at the Loma Theatre in Coloma is just right.