in Eustis, is the home of the Bay Street Players, and if you have never attended a production of theirs there, I highly recommend it.  Yesterday I attended a performance of Avenue Q, The Musical  and can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it. I was with a friend,  who had seen Avenue Q on Broadway, and she said this production was every bit as good. As Broadway?  That really says something.   A few weeks ago I attended a one man show called the 6 Guitars, and it was fantastic.  Chase Padgett was extremely talented, and yet very funny.  A very upbeat performance that I would gladly go see again, if it was still playing.  A little history;  the Historic State Theatre was built in 1916 and in addition to serving as a Vaudeville Theatre it was also designed as a venue for the latest craze in mass entertainment, “moving pictures”,  hence the presence of one of the largest “photo play” pipe organs in the Southeast. When vaudeville faded out it was strictly a movie theater and operated as such for many years, until that too died out.  It was empty for many years until in 1974 a group of theatre aficionados discovered the vacant theatre and decided to clean it up.  That is when the Bay Street Players were founded, and they have been there ever since..  That was 38 years ago, and they have done a lot of work, both with productions but also with the restoring of the building.  They perform five plays yearly, as well as other short productions.  The Bay Street Players also promote the arts in their youth program, called the Young People’s Theatre. The theatre is old, but intimate. It seats roughly 225 people and when you go there, you do step back in time. This is not your Savannah Center, it is an old theater of our youth.They sell soft drinks and some candy in the lobby, and I think I even saw some homemade cookies.  The dress goes from very casual to quite dressy, and mostly in between.  I guess the best word to describe the theatre, and also the Historic Town of Eustis, is quaint. Restaurants are excellent and if you like Mexican food, and atmosphere,  there is a restaurant a few doors down, and it is the best Mexican Restaurant I  have ever eaten at, and that includes the Mexican Restaurant in Old Towne San Diego. Lake Eustis is one block over from the theater. There is a lovely little park where you can sit and enjoy the views, or walk along the lake itself.  Some good stores for shopping, although Sunday the restaurants are open, but most of the shops are closed.  It is about a 40 minute ride from here…Rt#441 to Rt#19 North.  You can get more information by going to www.baystreetplayers.org.  I love The Villages, and I love what’s all around us too.