The Historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater The Starlight Drive-In The John Waldron Arts Center The Bloomington Playwrights Project The Haunted History of the Old Indiana Theater Order your Dark Carnival T-Shirt today! Only $9.99 Don't miss your chance to get a limited edition Dark Carnival T-shirt. We're only making a limited quantity of these, and once they're gone, they're gone! Save Shipping - Order yours and have it waiting for you at the box office (or we can send it to you, S&H extra.) Buy It HERE

The Dark Carnival organizers are working with select local hotels to offer discount room rates for our guests and patrons: Partner Hotels Fourwinds Resort and Marina Phone: 812-824-9911 Address: 9301 S. Fairfax Road, Bloomington, Indiana 47401 Special Room Rates: (must mention "Dark Carnival") $109/night (or $119 for lakefront) Must Make Reservations by Sept. 25th Patriot Inn (www.patriotinn.com) Phonre: 812-829-0400 Address: 10 N. Crane Ave., Spencer, Indiana 47460 Special Room Rates: (must mention "Dark Carnival") $52/night This hotel is about 25 minutes from Bloomington. Reservations should be made ASAP. Directions and info for the Historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater: Forget so called 'film festivals' that screen movies in a hotel conference room. The Dark Carnival is pleased to present our screenings at the historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater in downtown Bloomington. The Buskirk-Chumley is a classic 1940s era movie house that's been updated with a state-of-the art sound system, digital projection and a full size 30 foot by 20 foot screen. DIRECTIONS: From Indianapolis, take I-465 South to the State Road 37 South exit. Exit onto highway 46 East and travel to the second stoplight. Turn right on College Avenue and continue South until reaching the courthouse square. Make a left ( east ) on Kirkwood Avenue ( 5th Street ). The theater is just 1/2 block east of the square at 114 East Kirkwood. From the south / Bedford, head North on State Road 37 until exiting onto the 3rd St. exit. Head east on 3rd St. and it will flow directly into 5th Street. Travel East on 5th St., towards the courthouse square, crossing College St. & Walnut St. The theater is located 1/2 block east of the square on Kirkwood Ave. ( 5th St.) The haunted history of the old 'Indiana' What is now the Buskirk-Chumley, actually began life as the Indiana Theater. Built in 1922 by the Vonderschmitt family, the 'Indiana' opened as a vaudeville and silent movie house. The theater was an instant success, welcoming 1300 people on opening night to see "The Storm" starring House Peters. Before long the 'Indiana' became a fixture in the community- a place for people to cool off from the hot Indiana summers. Fortunes changed when, in 1933, the theater mysteriously caught fire and nearly burned to the ground. As fire fighters made a valiant effort to put out the blaze, a young mother leaned out of her tiny upstairs apartment above the box office and dropped her baby to waiting arms below. The woman disappeared inside, shortly before flames engulfed the building. The cause of the fire was determined to be arson, although the case was never solved. Many believed the fire was started by three men hired by the labor union as retribution for the owners' resistance to heavy handed union tactics. Some friends of the theater owners chased the three men south into Kentucky, killing one and throwing his body into a river. Determined to carry on, the family rebuilt the 'Indiana' in 1934, returning it to its former glory. 75 years later, few records of the fire remain, and it's difficult to determine who may have survived. Today, the apartments above the theater have become offices and there are some who work there who have reported hearing strange sounds from the upstairs projection booth, which was closed off a decade ago...

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