An Evening Like It Used To Be is occurring at the Windsor Theatre in Hampton Iowa October 1. We have the best little community in Iowa – here in Franklin County. Jim Davies is our guest blogger today – he’s sharing all the information about the October 1 event (that our bloggers tour will attend as part of the Harvest Tour).
Movie nostalgia will be spotlighted October 1 in Hampton when members of the Windsor Theatre Development Corporation, the Franklin County Arts Council, Franklin County Tourism, the Hampton Chamber of Commerce, and Preservation Iowa sponsor An Evening Like It Used to Be.
An Evening Like It Used to Be will showcase Hampton’s historic Windsor Theatre and take guests back in time to relive an authentic silent movie experience complete with musical accompaniment. To help create a nostalgic atmosphere, there will be a silent movie with orchestra music directed by Leon Kuehner, chairman of the Franklin County Arts Council, live vaudeville performances by the Pythian Players (Duane Murray, Melanie Condon, and Jim Davies), Kimberly Burman will sing an opera aria, Nina Esslinger from Ms. Nina’s Dance Center is arranging a dance troupe performance, and Dawn Groszkruger will lead an old time sing along.
The silent movie segment will feature 20 minutes including Cowboy Max Steele and Max Takes a Bath. The evening’s events and central theme (raising awareness about the Windsor’s past, present, and future) will be linked to 1917, which was the first year movies were shown at the Windsor. “A Romance of the Redwoods” starring Mary Pickford was the first movie shown at the Windsor on October 18 and 19 of 1917. Tickets for the movie cost 10 cents and 20 cents.
A reception featuring hors d’oeuvres will run from 5:30-7:00. During that time a PowerPoint presentation of historic Iowa theatres will be shown. There will also be informal tours of the Windsor, with local residents stationed throughout the building to share the Windsor’s history. A vintage car collection, owned by Jerry Passehl of Latimer, will display a 1919 Ford Model T two-seat coupe, a 1921 Ford touring four-seat convertible, and a 1927 four-door Model T.
The featured attraction of An Evening Like It Used to Be will begin at 7:00 with a welcome from Preservation Iowa, a non-profit organization based in Des Moines whose main goal is to build partnerships that enhance the economic and cultural future of historic sites like the Windsor.
Preservation Iowa’s introduction will feature “Hollywood in the Heartland,” which is a project designed to document Iowa’s movie house history.
Preservation Iowa will also present the 2011 Preservation at Its Best Awards. Each year Preservation Iowa seeks to honor individuals, organizations, projects, and programs whose work demonstrates a commitment to excellence in historic preservation.
Jim Davies, Windsor Theatre Corporation