Submitted photo
“I wish we had a Dietrich Theater in our town.”
We have heard this from so many visitors who discover all of the movies and events at the Dietrich, all of them low cost or free. We at the Dietrich can say that all this would not be possible without the support of our community, support that was there from the day the reopening of the theater was just a dream to today, when the latest support is the sponsorship of the 12 Movies of Christmas.
We could not do it without sponsors, including Ace-Robbins, Inc, The Belt Law Firm, Catherine J. Garbus, Century Farm on behalf of Kenneth and Caroline Taylor and Tom and Margarita Taylor, Corterra Energy, Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau, First Energy Foundation, GEM 100 & 104 WGMF/WGMM, Kintner Model Homes and Nostalgia Car Wash, M & T Bank, Nimble Hill Vineyard and Winery and Nimle Hill Brewery, P & G Credit Union, The Sheldon Family Foundation, and the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce.
Through Thursday, Dec. 15, everyone can see 12 of these movies, scheduled at multiple showings. Pick up a brochure at the theater or go to www.dietrichtheater.com for all the listings.
The bonus stocking stuffer is the multiple free showings of “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Wednesday, Dec. 21, thanks to Ace-Robbins. This is a tradition at the Dietrich since the theater reopened in 2001, always a gift to the community, including free popcorn and soda.
My favorites are “A Christmas Story” and “Elf” … and “White Christmas” and “The Polar Express” and oh so many more.
How about you? They are here just for you. Come and enjoy a gift of your downtown movie theater and community sponsors. You are invited.
Amy and Steve Colley are such special art teachers at the Dietrich, offering classes for children and adults all year. They even teach a Holiday Camp after Christmas, before the kids go back to school, a wonderful way for the 5 to 12 year olds to decompress after the holidays. The Colleys always plan fun ways for the young ones to try their hand at pottery and sculpture, painting and drawing and mixed media projects. Three days of creativity on Dec. 27, 28, and 29 from 9:30 to 11 a.m., only $35 per child. Call 570-836-1022, ext 3 to register. Your kids will thank you.
When you come to a movie at the Dietrich, factor in some time to browse the exhibits and decorations. My brother-in-law, Stephen Hendrickson, has spent a year gathering all the toys for his Toy Shop, creating the actual toy shop, pasting, painting, lighting, selecting the music. You can push one button for music and one button to see magic movement.
He has entitled the exhibit The Old Toy Shop –Christmas 1900. He explains, “Before electricity was in homes, before radio, telephones and movies, before motor cars, home entertainment was a piano, possibly a Victrola, and a toy theater. Children learned to play the piano and with adults could put on plays and operas.”
This toy theater is an actual print of one of those toy theaters.
This Toy Shop creation is truly a year-long labor of love just waiting for you to spend some time looking at all the details and imagining life long ago. Thank you, Stephen, for your stunning gift to us all.
It takes so many to bring all of these gifts to us. Erica Rogler and her team of Ronnie Harvey, and Mary Turner do all the planning to make it all happen. The original vision and passion for our mission is very much alive today at the Dietrich. Thank you, Erica, Ronnie, and Mary for carrying on with the same fervor and can-do spirit. Erica calls me “one of the founding mothers” of the Dietrich. A very proud founding mother, indeed.
