Middletown Memories

Middletown Memories It was announced last week that my friend Warner Crocker has stepped down from his position as Artistic Director of the historic Wayside Theatre in Middletown, VA. Thinking about his long fifteen-year run, I am reminded of my first visit to Middletown. No, I do not refer to our "Meeting of the Minds" in October 2005. Rather, my first visit to the town and theater was in April 1999. A year after I'd settled in VA with Tanya, my now-wife planned what I believe was our first overnight, out-of-town trip to a little place out in the middle of nowhere called The Wayside Inn. Just a quaint, quiet place for us to enjoy a different part of the state. And when I say "quiet", I mean freaky ghost town quiet. we arrived on a Saturday, spent the night, and walked the town on Sunday by ourselves. Literally by ourselves. We sauntered from the inn to the Route 11 potato chip factory (can't remember if that was open) and neither saw nor heard one human being. The only point of interest was an old live performance theater. It, like the rest of the town, was empty but not deserted. We honestly couldn't tell if it was still running and, given the silence in the town, didn't see the point if it was. That, my first memory of Wayside Theatre, is how I know what a remarkable job Warner has done leading the theater over the years. In our first return trip, Tanya and I could not get over how vibrant it was compared to that eerie place we once knew. The couple times I went back over the years were no different. As an outsider, I have no insight into how Wayside Theatre or the surrounding community has changed over the years, but based on what I've seen, Warner leaves the place better than he found it. Good job, my friend. If your newly opened schedule ever brings you through Reston, maybe you can visit me for once.
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