An Imperial performance

Entire civilizations, as the legendary movie portrays, can be Gone With the Wind .

How easily lost, then, is a solitary building -- especially after its uses seem antiquated?

Tonight, Augusta celebrates its unique and uncommon wisdom in saving a 90-year-old jewel like the Imperial Theatre on Broad Street.

The old girl has been buffeted by nine decades of wind -- of changing tastes and technologies, of economies that wax and wane, of the fickle vagaries of time. And it's hardly ever looked or felt better -- or sounded better, thanks to a new sound system and to supporters and patrons who realize the venue is sometimes as important or more important than the event.

Tonight, the 90th anniversary celebration will pair this very-important venue with one of the most important movies of all time, Gone With the Wind .

Tickets are available, and at $6 a real bargain. Show up early: There will be folks in period costumes arriving to a red-carpet welcome. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie starts shortly after festivities at 7 p.m.

Everyone was invited to wear Civil War-era clothes, and you sure can. Some folks wondered how comfortable that would be, hoop skirts and all, and suggested 1940s-era clothes. That would be a treat, too.

VIP tickets also are available that include a reception at 5 across Broad Street at the City Club -- and, weather permitting, horse-and-carriage rides to the movie.

Regardless of the weather, no 90-year-old will have a better birthday party this year.