By Sara Martin
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Gallon of gas to drive to the theater: $4.

Movie tickets: $18.50.

Bag of popcorn and a small Coke: $6.

An evening out with your sweetheart doesn’t come cheap these days.

“Anyone who has been to the movies lately knows how expensive it is,” says Sharon Dillon, a sales counselor for home building company Highland Homes. “Media rooms are a very popular option right now for our new home sales. People want to feel like they can go to the theater right in their own homes.”

Those who live at Eagle’s Trace can enjoy the benefits of a media room minus the hassle of buying a new home. Residents have the luxury of screening movies without ever having to leave the community.

Thursday night is movie night in the living room of the Audubon Clubhouse at Eagle’s Trace. For resident Gail Holter and her husband, Robert, it is an opportunity to see a variety of movies in the company of good friends.

“We watch all different types of movies—comedy, Western, romance—from every era. We try to appeal to everyone,” says Mrs. Holter, who takes requests to decide which movies to show each week.

Recent screenings include Desk Set with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, The Bridge on the River Kwai with William Holden and Alec Guinness, and As Good as It Gets with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt.

“It’s nice to watch movies on the big screen on campus where we know everyone instead of going to a movie theater where we don’t know anyone sitting around us,” says Mrs. Holter. “Often we gather in the living room at 6:15 p.m. just to visit before the movie starts.”

Good friends. Great movies. And the only price to get in is a smile. That may just be the best deal in town.