By Dagney Palmer and Lili Samios
Tally Ho is a historic twin theatre in downtown Leesburg that shows new films and hosts movie theme nights, live comedy, musical acts, and private events. Tally Ho has been in Leesburg for nearly 80 years, and its future is at stake. With the new 12 screen Cobb Theatres opening at the Village at Leesburg, Tally Ho’s owner, Don Devine, believed it would present too much competition for the Tally Ho and has put the building up for sale.
One of the major benefits of going to the Tally Ho to see all your favorite movies is the price; tickets are $8.75 in the evening and $6.75 for matinee. On Thursdays, Tally Ho offers a discount price of $3 for movie tickets! Even the concession stand items are cheaper than they are at larger chain theaters. The other advantage of the Tally Ho is the history; the twin theatre is nearly a century old and still in working order! Seeing a movie at the Tally Ho turns a commonplace outing into a fun and interesting experience.
Cobb is a very nice theater, very fancy and clean, and your shoes rarely stick when walking across the floor. There is a restaurant in the theater and even more snacks to buy than in normal theaters. There are 3 VIP theaters at Cobb that are not as large as normal theaters, because the seats are twice the size of normal theater seats. You also get to choose your “assigned” seat. There isn’t much to complain about with this brand new theater. The only thing it is lacking is character. Even though Tally Ho’s floors are sticky and the theaters are small, it is full of character, and it is fun to see a movie there.
Though theaters like Cobb may have more movies and comfy seats, the Tally Ho has so much character and history that seeing a movie there becomes a memorable and unique event. Go to Cobb, Brambleton, Regal, etc, if you want to pay $12 (plus $10 or more for concessions) to sit in a dark, crowded room for 90 minutes. But if you, like most young adults, don’t feel like spending all your allowance at boring, fancy theaters, and don’t mind a little sticky coating on the floor, go to Tally Ho!
