Year End News From The Ashland Firehouse Theater

During our 2011-2012 season the Ashland Firehouse Theater screened eleven (11) movies including our first effort at a foreign film series (a series that was very well received). We had a very rewarding annual campaign to raise funds for Firehouse Theater operations as our original goal was exceeded by forty percent. For this we owe much appreciation and heartfelt thanks to all the individuals and businesses that supported our concept of “Your Community Theater.”

We concluded the fall-winter film series on December 21 with a very successful screening of Elf. This event, created by the efforts of the Herbert family, raised about $800 for Relay for Life (American Cancer Society).

The year ended with a grand celebration at the First Annual New Year’s Firehouse Gala on New Year’s Eve. The Firehouse was filled with over fifty guests for dinner, music by celebrity DJ Sugar Kane( aka Elizabeth Melson), dancing, two silent films from the 1920’s, great conversation with old and new friends, and the countdown around the shimmering silver disco ball.

We believe the Firehouse Theater has become an important part of the revitalization effort for Downtown Ashland. Not only are we open for the Firehouse Saturday evening movies but the Theater is also being used more and more for community events.  We were visited by Santa before Christmas, held a small, delightful art exhibit for kindergarten kids from Henry Clay Elementary, hosted an Ashland Main Street Association meeting of many community non-profit organizations, had the Relay for Life fund-raiser and ended with the successful Gala on New Year’s Eve.

As a consequence of the success of the Fall 2011 funds campaign we will reopen with Firehouse Saturday evening movies on February 25 and will screen movies every Saturday evening through April 28 (with the exception of Saturday, April 7 prior to Easter Sunday). Please note that the starting time for ALL movies will be 7:30 PM (a change from our previous starting time of 7:45 PM).

We will have a schedule of movies out in January. Our plans call for an eclectic series of films including several true classics, 2-3 family-oriented films, a foreign film, a musical, a sports movie and, perhaps, a silent film with accompanying piano. We will distribute this screening schedule as soon as we have finalized the selection of films.

We are also working with Randolph-Macon College to develop plans for the Ashland International Film Festival in September–October 2012. This festival of foreign movies would include four films with open air screenings on Friday evenings at R-MC and a Saturday evening screening at the Firehouse.

Please feel free to contact us with any ideas or comments on how we can make “Your Community Theater” an even better place to visit.

Ragan Phillips @ 798-3429 or rtphil204@aol.com

The Ashland Firehouse Theater, managed and operated by the Ashland Community Theater Foundation (ACT).  ACT is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.  Board members receive no remuneration.