On Friday Night we are showing the 1971 Italian classic “Lady Frankenstein”.   Fans for the genre know about this movie.   It will be fun to see on the big screen.   This is Rated R and is only for mature audiences.    The show will start at 8:00pm.  All seats are $5.00

On Saturday night we are showing a John Calvert Double Feature.   Last weekend was the first time we had a chance to see theses films.  They are fun.   You will step back to a time gone by.   The program starts with classic previews, a cartoon and two very entertaining Calvert films.   The Durango Kid is first and Appointment for Murder is second.  Each movie is just over an hour.  This is appropriate for the whole family.  The show will start at 7:00pm.  You will have a great time.   All seats are $4.00

Thank you for your support.   We hope to see you at the Strand this weekend!

Dear Strand Fan,

The Strand takes a step back in time this weekend…1948 to be exact.   We are showing movies starring John Calvert.   Mr. Calvert will perform and reminisce on the Strand stage on October 16 for a special film festival.   In the mean time, we are showing some of his films.   The double feature will start at 7:00pm on Friday and Saturday nights.   The films will be different each night, so come out an spend an evening in the Strand!

The Strand not only looks back, but we look forward and sometimes up.   This weekend is a good time to look up.    This past spring the Strand Lecture series hosted a lecture on astronomy from an Indiana perspective.   Our lecturer, Jeff Patterson, would want you to know that there will be excellent viewing for the International Space Station this weekend.   You can see the ISS fly over at the following times:

Friday    8/27    8:49pm    SW to NE

Sat.       8/28    9:18pm    NW to NNE

Mon.      8/30    8:38pm    NNW to NNE

When he spoke he told us to look up, so now is our chance.   The next lecture will be September 14th with Robert Lewis of the Shelby County Health Department.   His talk on public health will be informative and entertaining.   If you haven’t experienced the slide show with Robert, this is something you won’t want to miss!

This past week the Strand was toured by some members of our Sister City Delegation from Japan.   The students spent a week in Shelby County visiting many sites and forging bonds between our two communities.   Thank you to all the members of the International Relations Committee and the City of Shelbyville for making this possible.   We appreciate the opportunity to show that the Arts are alive an well in our community.

We live in a world of wonder and amazement.   We are dazzled by not only the natural world, but the things we produce.   The Strand is honored to help expose our community to some excellent talent right here in Shelby County.   Whether you are interested in a lecture, films, stage plays, poetry or a Dinner and a Movie, we hope to see you at the Strand sometime soon.   Thank you for the support and encouragement.

The Strand has had a busy week.  This time it is not with events, but with work to the theatre.   We received a grant from the Blue River Community Foundation for some roof work.   This work was primarily on the stage house section in the back.   It was too high and too dangerous for our volunteers.   R. D. Marshall, Inc.  performed the work.   The crew repaired the shingled roof, repaired the flashing, fixed the gutters, removed old vents (5 to be exact) and coated the flat roof.   With this work we have gained about 7 years of use.   This was a very important project.   All the hard work inside must be protected from leaks and weather.   Doing this now will pay huge dividends it the future.   Thank you to the BRCF our Donors and everyone at RDMI for helping bring this to a reality.

Work like this isn’t very glamorous, but it is crucial to the long term success of our project.  You can sleep easier knowing it is done.   One of the unexpected perks was that our roof turned from black to silver.   The Strand crew will be having a little fun for all the aerial mapping and Google earth images in the future.  If you are a pilot, take a look next time you fly over….you might see some changes!  (we won’t start until the temperature cools a bit!)

Speaking of temperature (warning, tech talk ahead) we are pleased that the emergency repairs made to our AC unit have held.  The theatre can be easily cooled even in the hottest of days.   The freon leak that we have must be very slight because all our gauges are reading in the green.   This is a full two weeks after the repair.  So far so good.

Anyone notice the south face of our marquee?   Yes, the Strand has a soccer team.  We were honored by the Blue River Soccer Association as a not for profit that was selected for a team.   The Strand U8 Team has a full schedule.   We will post the progress of our team on the marquee.  If you haven’t experienced a soccer game at the Blue River Memorial Park, it is a fun event.

Entertainment abounds this weekend…just not at the Strand.  Please visit our friends at the Bears of Blue River Festival.  There is something for everyone in the public square in downtown Shelbyville.   We will not have any events this weekend so everyone can make it to the Festival.

Coming up in October we have a John Calvert Film Festival with John Calvert.   In anticipation of this event, the Strand will be showing 4 of Mr. Calvert’s films.   This will start August 27 &28.   Each night will be a double feature of two of Mr. Calvert’s films.   On Friday night we will be showing Return of the Durango Kid and Appointment with Murder. On Saturday night we will show Search for Danger and Devil’s Cargo. This will be a fun event for the Strand.  Come and see some films (all seats $4).   Mr. Calvert will be on our stage October 16th, so this is a good way to get to know his work.

Some things on the horizon are our September 18th Dinner and a Movie will be Wizard of Oz. On September 12th in conjunction with the Shelby Senior Services membership kick-off at the theatre we will show The King and I.

Thank you for all the support.

We doomed ourselves.  Last week asked everyone to keep their fingers crossed for our AC units in the heat.   The Shelby County Players had excellent attendance on Thursday night.   The AC couldn’t keep up, we thought it was the large crowd.    After cooling the theatre all day on Friday it didn’t take long for the next SCP audience to heat it up again.   We knew something was wrong and we were worried.   Before the show we found that one of our four units had shut down.  We didn’t have time before the performance started, but during intermission a crew headed to the roof with tools and Freon and fixed the unit.

(Warning, tech talk ahead) It turns out that the unit has been sub-standard all cooling season, we just didn’t notice.  It finally was sufficiently low on Freon to kick itself off.   We pre-purchased Freon last year for just this type of emergency.   We put 15# of R-22 in the unit on Friday night.   We finished about the time the second act finished.   It never got uncomfortable in the auditorium, but it certainly was headed that way.   Once the faulty unit was back online, it cooled immediately.   Throughout the day on Saturday we checked and the pressure held steady.   Not wanting to take any chances we again cooled the auditorium down before the audience arrive.  We expected the temperature to rise with all the people present.   Guess what?   With everything working the thermometer didn’t budge a bit.   We were shocked.  That 25% capacity difference made all the difference in the world.   If you were in the audience on Saturday night, we apologize from giving you a chilly evening, but considering what when on, it was a good problem to have.   We had it perfect for Sunday’s performance.

If you missed the production at the Strand, the SCP are performing it again at the Pixy Theatre in Edinburgh Friday and Saturday night.

This weekend we have 3 things.   First is the movie Friday the 13th.   Our web site contributor Steve Talbert said it best when he wrote the preview:

“If “Psycho” is too tame and “Saw” is too graphic, the original “Friday the 13th” might be up your alley — or wooded path, as the case may be. The Strand will show the film at 8 p.m. on Friday. Tickets are $5. Watching the film and enjoying popcorn and candy are great ways to beat the heat — and support the Strand.

Released in 1980, “Friday the 13th” is the granddaddy of teenage slasher films. Filled with suspenseful camera angles and creepy music, this classic features a 22-year-old Kevin Bacon, who gets “killed, ” of course.

Although many horror-lovers have watched the classic on VHS or DVD in their own home, most people born before 1963 have never seen the rated “R” film on the big screen in a movie theater.

Apparently, the film company isn’t making a big deal about the film’s 30th anniversary, so Shelbyville’s Strand is the only place to celebrate this historic occasion.

Watching Friday the 13th on Friday the 13th seems apropos, since the “un-holiday” gets little respect. Although most people who suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia, which is fear of Friday the 13th, wouldn’t venture out in public on this date, this may be the perfect opportunity to overcome this fear. Friggatriskaidekaphobia is very rare, anyway.

In case you were wondering, paraskavedekatriaphilia is the love of Friday of Friday the 13th. So embrace paraskavedekatriaphilia by treating yourself and your loved one to a classic film in a classic theater! The balcony is open and the floor isn’t sticky.”

One Saturday author Joel Fox will give a lecture at 2:00pm on his new book Lincoln’s Hand.   This event is FREE.    On Saturday night at 7:00pm our friends at the Bears of Blue River Festival will hold their annual Queen Contest.   This event is also FREE.     We hope to see you at one of these events.

Thank you for your support.   It is fun, even if we scurry to the roof to fix the AC in the middle of a performance.   Your encouragement is always appreciated.   We want you to be proud of the Strand and what it means to our community.  After all, who else would put a 23 letter word on their marquee?

Did everyone get the clues the past two weeks on John Calvert?   If so, you know that Mr. Calvert is a stage magician and a movie star from the Golden Age of Hollywood.   The Strand is hosting a John Calvert Film Festival on Saturday October 16, 2010.   In anticipation of that event four of Mr. Calvert’s films will be shown throughout the next two months at the Strand.

Return of the Durango Kid,  Appointment with Murder, Search for Danger and Devil’s Cargo star Mr. Calvert as “The Falcon”.   These films will be a fun retrospect into the fascinating career of Mr. Calvert.   We will be posting show dates in the coming weeks.   We also want to extend a very Happy Birthday to Mr. Calvert.   On August 5th he celebrated his 99th birthday.  

This event and the films leading up to the event will be something special for our community and State.   We are thrilled that Mr. Calvert selected the Strand Theatre as the venue for this walk back in time.  During the show in October, Mr. Calvert will also perform stage magic, for which he is well know.

The Shelby County Players had a wonderful opening for their play “And Then There Were None.”   It continues this weekend on Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 and a Sunday Matinee at 2:00pm.   This Agatha Christie tale is fun and entertaining.   The Strand is pleased to be one of the venues for the SCP 2010-2011 Season.  Come out and support live theatre in Shelby County!

Is it hot?  Yet another test, on the second hottest day of 2010 the Shelby County Players decided to test the cooling capability of our antique equipment.   They had over 160 patrons with an outside temperature of over 90°.     While the actors kept the patrons in suspense, the Strand kept the audience cool.   We tend to talk about our challenges with the operation of the theatre a bit more that some other things.  One look at our equipment, and it is easy to see we are on borrowed time.   Thank goodness our not so antique volunteer Bob S. has the skill and experience to keep this equipment doing it’s job.   Keep your fingers crossed.

This coming week three events.   On Friday August 13th we will show…Friday the 13th (1980 version).   We thought it was clever too!   This will be a fun event starting at 8:00pm.   You will have plenty of time to get dinner at one of our great Shelby County restaurants, and then come to the Strand for popcorn and the movie.   Popcorn is a great dessert.   We hope to see you there.  

On Saturday August 14th author Joel Fox will visit the Strand to give a lecture on his new book Lincoln’s Hand.   This novel takes place around the stories related to the attempted grave robbing our 16th president.    The event starts at 2:00pm and is FREE. 

On Saturday Night the Bears of Blue River Festival Queen Pageant will start at 7:00 pm.   This event FREE.

Our volunteers are working hard each and every day to make the most of the theatre that has been entrusted to us.   We believe that our community if full of talented, energetic and wonderful people.   The Strand highlights what we have, as a community, to offer.    It is a pleasure for everyone that is connected to the theatre to be a part of such fun project.   Thank you for your support.  Without you we could not do what we do.    Our donations keep coming, yet we never ask.   That is a true testament to the community in which we live.   Thank you.

Is it hot yet?   We don’t know because the Strand is COOL.   Yippee!!   Please keep your fingers crossed that our 1954 era equipment keeps giving us good service.   This is not the type of weather to send Bob S. to the roof, but we will if we have to!

ShelbyIdol was a success.   Did you catch the very nice front page article in the Shelbyville News?   For those of you who live out of town, you can view it on-line at www.shelbynews.com    They have been great supporters of the Strand and have written numerous articles highlighting the great things that take place in the theatre.   In addition we publish an ad every Wednesday for upcoming events.   We find it is very worthwhile.  We know that this may be hard to believe, but there are those of you who are not on Facebook (are you a Strand Fan?), don’t have email or don’t have web access (in which case you are not reading this).   You can still find our events by reading the newspaper.   It might seem old fashioned, but to us it is still cutting edge.  Please support them.    If you look on our web site and keep going back, you will find newspaper articles from 1916 posted.   Some things never change.

ShelbyIdol is one of those shows that utilizes the Strand very well.   We had over 600 audience members visit during the course of the competition.   Energy2Action, LLC produces this event.  Gretchen Morgan usually organizes running and athletic events.   This foray into the Arts has been worthwhile and appreciated.   ShelbyIdol has proved to be an effective and enjoyable format.   We look forward to ShelbyIdol 2011.

This week the Shelby County Players will be rehearsing their show “And Then There Were None” at the theatre.   This play opens on August 5th for a total of 4 performances.   The director, Tiffany Wilson, is no stranger to the Strand stage.  She has performed and directed productions in the Strand many times.   We look forward to an exciting opening for the first production of the Shelby County Players 2010-2011 Season.   Get your tickets early, this is something you will not want to miss.

Between now and next week, we would like to send you on a little scavenger hunt.   We have a major announcement to make, but before we do, we would like to give all of you a hint:   Check out John Calvert (imdb will be a good start).   We’ll say more later.   Good luck.

Thanks for the support the Strand is FUN.   We hope you think so too.

ShelbyIdol FINALS!!   This Saturday night July 17, 2010, the finals of SHELBYIDOL will be held at the Strand Theatre.   The performance starts at 7:00pm.  This is an entertaining and uplifting event for all that attend.  We hope to see you there.   Good luck contestants!

Electricity, plumbing, heating and A/C….the list goes on.    Work continues at the Strand.   The big push is to complete our electrical work.  The carrot at the end of the stick will be the ability to finish our marquee.  Unfortunately we have to do things in order.  We wish we could pass GO and collect $200, but that is not the case.   We have located the path where our new wire will go.  This is to get the electrical feed from the west wall to the east wall…not an easy job.  
Our A/C units have been working overtime in the heat.   We have had a theatre full of people our last two performances.   Everyone remained cool, but our electrical meter worked overtime.   We have 25 tons of cooling, and according to Bob S. we need 30.   The only time you notice is on very hot days will lots of people…like the summer of 2010.

We are pleased to announce that the Blue River Community Foundation has awarded the Strand a grant for roof repair.   There are some jobs that are just not suited for volunteers.  The roof is one of them.   It is too high and too old.   The contractor doing the work (at an outstanding price) has put us on his schedule.  We anticipate starting in the fall when it is not so hot.   One way or the other, it will be completed by the time winter sets in.    The grant covered just under half the cost.  We have been saving our pennies, and we have enough funds to complete the project.    It will not be a permanent fix, but should buy us another 10 years.

So much to do, so little time.  Ever suffer from that?  We do, however slowly but surely we work our plan and continue our efforts.  The Strand is 94 years old.  If it takes us a few months to accomplish things, so be it.  Remember, we opened the doors for renovation just over 3 years ago.   In that time we have re-opened and now we are waiting for our 20,000 audience member to walk through the theatre doors.    That day is coming very soon!

A quick mention that our friends at Indiana Downs have a concert coming up.   There will be a Rock Concert to benefit Ronald’s House on July 16th (today!) at 7:00pm.   One of the bands is a former Strand performer with musicians that volunteered during our renovation.   We don’t have anything scheduled, so go out and support a great cause at Indiana Downs!

Thanks for the support.