If you were to travel back to Hernando in the 1950s, you’d probably hear a thing or two about Von Theater. Citizens would flock to the movie and music venue, passing under its grand, glowing marquee that illuminated the Mississippi night sky. Inside popcorn was purchased, and people piled into the seats to watch the most celebrated films of the day. “It used to be a very popular place back in the forties and fifties when you didn’t have a lot of other entertainment going on,” says Steven Pittman, president of Friends of the Von Theatre. “So that was where people would go.” On Saturday nights, country music jamborees were held, and on rare occasions young up-and-comers like Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley would grace the stage, giving the quaint little Mississippi town a taste of what the entire world would soon see.

Click here to continue reading.