Tivoli Theatre Marquee Puts Love In The Spotlight

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — The Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove may have been closed for the past year due to coronavirus, but its marquee hasn't gone dark. Instead, it's been used to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions.

In February, the century-old theater's marquee was used not once, but twice, by local bachelors looking for a unique way to pop the question to their sweethearts.

John Kula and Pam Baillie

John Kula and Pam Baillie, of Westmont, met on OK Cupid just before the start of the pandemic, not long after Pam's daughter set up an account for her on the online dating platform. Pam, who had just moved to Illinois from New York, decided to try her luck messaging John.

The couple had their first date at a Starbucks in Hinsdale on March 1, 2020, and they've "basically been inseparable ever since," John told Patch.

“We spent a lot of time together this last year. We felt that because of COVID everything has been different [and] it sort of allowed us to grow as a couple," John said.

Pam told Patch the timing was perfect. “We probably wouldn’t have met if it was a couple of weeks later," she said.

While they were dating, the Tivoli Theatre was one place John really wanted to take Pam, since she had never been there, but the theater's closure during the pandemic made that impossible. The theater sprung to John's mind again when he decided to propose to Pam and was looking for a "creative way to do so."

John told Patch he saw messages on the marquee months ago and decided to look into renting it to pop the question to Pam... on Valentine's Day.

When the big day finally arrived, John parked in the lot off Washington and Rogers, so he could get Pam to the theater without her seeing the marquee. As he walked Pam to the theater, he mused out loud, "I wish this theater would reopen."

Then, he said, "I have a question to ask you," and led Pam out into the street, so she could see the marquee in its full glory.

"I was totally floored; I was totally surprised about it," Pam told Patch. "I had no idea.”

Pam told Patch she had suspected something, but wasn't sure what to expect. "I knew there was a surprise coming, but he was very good at keeping it secret," she said.

“Ultimately, he won my heart," Pam said.

Pam and John are planning to tie the knot June 12 on his parents' property in Darien, Wisconsin.

Stephan Santoro and Mary Gilmore

Stephan Santoro and Mary Gilmore met two years ago at Ballydoyle Irish Pub on one of the bar's weekly trivia nights. Stephan asked about Mary and they were introduced. The couple started dating shortly thereafter and have kept going back to trivia each week at Ballydoyle.

“I’ve waited a long time to find someone as special as him," Mary told Patch.

Stephan felt the same way, and when he decided to pop the question to Mary, he knew exactly how to do it.

"Mary loves old-school 1930s and '40s movies," Stephan told Patch, adding that she already a framed picture of the Tivoli Theatre's marquee in her home from when "It's a Wonderful Life" was showing there.

Stephan said he thought, "Well, this is a no-brainer, this is going to be awesome, she's going to love this."

He rented the marquee and planned the proposal for Feb. 23.

The evening started with dinner at Cadence Kitchen, where Stephan works. He parked on Washington and used the employee entrance, so Mary wouldn't see the marquee, which had been up since around 10:30 a.m.

After dinner, Stephan told Mary they were going to Every Day's a Sundae for ice cream. He drove down Washington, parked in front of Aurelio's and told Mary to take off her face mask and put on the eye mask she uses for sleeping.

"And then I knew what was happening," Mary told Patch.

Stephan led her out in front of the marquee, got down on one knee and asked her to remove the mask. At that point, Mary hadn't looked up yet to see the marquee.

“It literally did not cross my mind that he would have gotten the marquee," Mary said, adding that she was "stunned."

"It couldn't be any more perfect," she said.

Stephan and Mary are planning to tie the knot before the end of the year. They are planning to have the ceremony either at Ballydoyle in Aurora or outdoors.

Popping the Question without a Question Mark

One challenge both John and Stephan faced was that Tivoli Theatre did not have a question mark for its marquee. In fact, none of the Classic Cinemas theaters had a question mark because "they never made a question mark," Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson told Patch.

“They don't even make the letters any more for the marquee," Johnson said.

"That was so frustrating for me," Stephan told Patch, adding that he tried to find a question mark on his own. Ultimately, he decided to end the question with an ellipsis.

John, on the other hand, opted for an exclamation mark. He joked, "Instead of it being a question, it will be more of a demand.”

Johnson added that over the years, the Tivoli Theatre has been the setting for "a lot of life events and interesting things," including weddings. He said the marquee rental has been a "wild success," though the practice will "fall by the wayside" when the theater reopens April 15.

Johnson told Patch he's looking forward to more residents making memories at the theater. He said, "When people think of the Tivoli, they think of good things."