Actor Dennis Quaid to visit Dixon for ‘Reagan’ movie red-carpet event

DIXON — Actor Dennis Quaid is coming to The Dixon: Historic Theatre at 114 S. Galena Ave. on Thursday, Aug. 22, for a red-carpet event featuring the new movie in which he portrays President Ronald Reagan, who grew up in Dixon.

The event includes a question-and-answer session with the actor, an advanced screening of his film “Reagan,” commemorative popcorn buckets and more.

“We’re trying to make this a memorable occasion,” Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home Program Director Kyle Ferrebee said. “The role Dixon played in the shaping of American history is incredible.”

Seating for the event is limited, with ticket prices set at $25 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets are not yet available, but patrons can join the film’s waitlist on the Young America’s Foundation (YAF) website to receive a notification when they become available. All proceeds are being used to help maintain The Dixon: Historic Theatre and the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home.

YAF kicks off the event at 6 p.m. with a procession featuring institutions that were key in forming the nation’s 40th president, and will include members from the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home and Birthplace, the Northwest Territory Historic Center, the Dixon YMCA, the Dixon Public Library, Dixon High School, the Dixon Municipal Band and the Dixon High School Band, the First Christian Church of Dixon and his alma mater, Eureka College.

Visitors can pack the sidewalks as the procession starts in front of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home, 810 S. Hennepin Ave., and proceeds north along Hennepin Avenue, following the route known as “Reagan Way.”

“It’s called Reagan Way because it goes along sites where Reagan grew up,” Ferrebee said. “Places like the church, the library and the school that all had an impact on the development of his character.”

Quaid will arrive at 6:30 p.m. to walk the red carpet as he prepares to take the stage in The Dixon: Historic Theatre at 7 p.m. with the film’s producer Mark Joseph, for a question-and-answer session with members of the audience and YAF leadership, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

The film will start at 7:30 p.m., although Quaid might need to leave early to catch a flight to Daytona, Florida, where he is expected the following day.

“Young America’s Foundation is proud to highlight President Ronald Reagan’s roots by organizing the red-carpet screening of Reagan in his boyhood town,” Walker said in a press release. “Renowned as the leader who ended the Cold War and ushered in an era of economic liberty and widespread prosperity, his impact on history and our lives is undeniable. Yet, to truly appreciate the man behind these monumental achievements, you have to understand his roots – and those begin in Dixon, Illinois.”