Mark your calendar — my book, Historic Movie Theaters of Columbia, will be published on Oct. 11, 2021. It covers all 28 — yes! 28 — movie theaters of Columbia from the 1894 Haden Opera House to the Ragtag Cinema and even includes the Olde Un Theaters!

Find out when movies first showed in Columbia, why our beautiful movie palaces faded and about the men and women who were the movers and shakers in Columbia’s movie industry.

Here are several ways to get your hands on a copy — and more events are in the planning!

Oct. 30, 2021 — 10 am. Meet the Author event at the Boone County History & Culture Center. I’ll be there talking about the surprises I found while researching our movie history.

Barnes and Noble will have copies of my book and you can even buy it online here.

Got an amazon habit? Get my book here.

Bonus opportunity! My book plus gift certificates to all four of Columbia’s still operating movie theaters will be one of the auction options at the Boone County History and Culture Center’s Hall of Fame event from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Atrium on Tenth St.

Have a group or club you think would find it fascinating to learn where Columbia’s first movie theater was? Want to know more about the city’s only Black-owned movie theater? Would your group like to get in on the hidden, but still existing movie theaters? Drop me a note at dobrien387 at gmail.com, and I’d be happy to talk to your group or organization and bring copies of my book for sale.