OKEECHOBEE —Did you think you were dreaming when you saw cows on top of the old movie theater? Nope! The cows are real. They appeared sometime during the night last Friday. Lightsey’s employees say the owner found the cows on eBay and thought putting them up would be a fun father/son activity for the family.

The old movie theater went out of business during the pandemic, and half of the property was purchased by the Williamson family and turned into a fancy car wash.

The other side was purchased by Ray Arrants, who also owns Lightsey’s Seafood Restaurant. For months, the internet has been ablaze with guesses on what will happen with the building. A popular theory was a dinner and a movie establishment, but that was quickly shot down.

After months of watching the remodeling and seeing the old theater seats removed, most have come to grips with the likelihood that there will not be movies shown in the new business.

A few weeks ago, a sign went up on the marquee notifying the public that there would soon be smoke coming from the multitude of smokers in front of the building. They will be practicing for a new BBQ establishment that will be called Coots.

These developments were mostly greeted by enthusiastic applause in the Facebook community with many expressing excitement about the new restaurant. Despite this, there is still a lingering sadness that the theater many remember from their childhood will be no more.

There has been no announcement on when the new place will open. For now, keep an eye on the cows and watch for smoke.