The Past Becomes the Present. ... and the Future Elegant theatres were the art and soul of our small towns-until they buckled under the pressure of multiplexes and TV. Now, they're coming back to life...and may well prove to be the social and economic engines powering small-town revivals across our region. CHUCK ALMAREZ by Joan Vannorsdall The Appalachian Theatre in Boone, North Carolina. The Paramount in Bristol, Tennessee. The Lincoln in Marion, Virginia. The Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge, Virginia. Four Blue Ridge theatres in different stages of restoration and reinvention. Remodelling is just beginning at the Appalachian, while the Historic Masonic just re-opened its doors July 1st, after years of financial and architectural planning and fourteen months of restoration. Bristol's Paramount and Marion's Lincoln September/October 2016 41