Happy 100th Birthday

Then and now: Celebrating 100 years of the Paramount Theatre through pictures

The iconic Paramount Theatre is turning 100 years old this year.Photo by Nicole Raney
The theater originally opened as the Majestic on October 11, 1915. It wasn't known as the Paramount until Paramount Pictures bought it in 1930.Courtesy of Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre during the 1966 world premiere of Batman starring Adam WestCourtesy of Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre during the 2015 centennial celebration announcement.Photo by Nicole Raney
Congress Avenue sometime between the 1930's and 1950's, when the State Theatre and the Queen Theater were still open and the Paramount blade had not yet been lost.Courtesy of Paramount Theatre
Congress Avenue today. The Queen Theater eventually turned in to The Contemporary Austin while the State Theatre is now known as Stateside at the Paramount.Photo by Nicole Raney
A view of the stage during the 1930's.Courtesy of Paramount Theatre
A view of the stage now. The famous painting of St. Cecilia wasn't added until the much needed renovations around the 1970's.Photo by Nicole Raney
Later this year, the Paramount Theatre hopes to erect a historically accurate recreation of the original blade (which was mysteriously lost in the 1960's.)Courtesy of Paramount Theatre
For now, Stateside at the Paramount (formerly known as the State Theatre) is the only remaining blade on that slice of Congress Avenue.Photo by Nicole Raney
During the centennial announcement, a hologram of Harry Houdini gave guests an glimpse back in time to his 1916 performance on the Paramount stage.Photo by Nicole Raney
The famous artists' wall where musicians, actors, writers, comedians, celebrities and performers of all sorts have left their signatures over the years.Photo by Nicole Raney
During Tuesday's centennial announcement, guests were treated to a performance from the Jitterbug Vipers and a bar on stage.Photo by Nicole Raney

Despite a name change, two world wars, multiple economic recessions and near demolition, The Paramount Theatre has remained in continuous operation in the same downtown location since it opened on October 11, 1915.

In celebration of this century-long run, the Paramount is hosting a variety of special events throughout the year. During a festive party on Tuesday night that included jugglers, a Harry Houdini hologram, Jaston Williams, the Jitterbug Vipers and more, the Paramount Theatre announced a slew of celebrations slated for the coming months.

In May, the Paramount will host a star-studded Centennial Gala featuring Lyle Lovett and "his amazing friends." In addition to the party, both Lovett and Jerry Jeff Walker will be added to Paramount's Avenue of Stars next to Jaston Williams and Joe Sears (a.k.a. Vera Carp and Pearl Burras of Greater Tuna).

The Paramount is also planning at least four free events representative of different iconic moments during the theater's history, including a screening of The Philadelphia Story with Katharine Hepburn and the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera. Details about the other two events, which will include an evening with local director Robert Rodriguez, have yet to be announced.

Everything will culminate later this year with the resurrection of the iconic Paramount Theatre blade. Originally erected in 1930 when Paramount Pictures bought the theater (and the name changed to what we know and recognize today), the blade was taken down in 1963 for renovations never to be seen again. Multiple leads have been followed by theater officials over the years, but nobody has a clue what happened to it.

As a birthday present, the Paramount has commissioned a remake of the blade complete with hundreds of buzzing light bulbs in the original colors. Although an exact date has yet to be decided, a 100th birthday party will occur sometime later this year around October 11.

Stay tuned for more event announcements during this year-long party for the Paramount Theatre.

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Being Green

Here's why Austin's Lady Bird Lake is green this week

Photo by Raymond Pitts via KVUE

It's not just for fun.

St. Patrick's day might be a month away, but Austin's downtown waterway isn't going green to celebrate.

Austinites might've noticed a striking green hue to Lady Bird Lake over the past few days, but according to the city's Watershed Protection Department, it's not a cause for alarm.

The green coloring is actually a dye used to find leaks in plumbing fixtures, according to the department. A representative said the dye might be seen in the water for several days, but it does not pose any type of health threat.

Water tracing dyes are often bright green to increase the visibility of the flow of water. They can help with determining how long it takes water to flow from point A to point B, to detect water overflow or leakage, and to check for any harmful pollutants making their way to a natural water source.

The same body of water drew attention in late January because of a dam failure that led to water levels dropping at least two feet. However, there is no public information connecting the incident with the green dye.

Austinites are in tune with color along the Colorado River because toxic algae blooms are not uncommon, and can cause serious negative health effects, especially in dogs that ingest the water while swimming. The culprit, Cyanobacteria, is also called blue-green algae, but it has a visible texture unlike the clear green dye.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com. Details about the dam failure and toxic algae were added by CultureMap.

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