We have been busy! So much so, that a few email slipped by us. To make up for the missing information, you get a double dose today! The Strand has taught us one thing….it is full of surprises. We, being slow learners, have finally caught on, so WE have a surprise for you.

As you recall, an anonymous donor paid for our 20′ x 30′ retractable movie screen. Since it was installed in August, we have yet to use the screen. That is about to change… On Friday Night November 21, 2008 the Strand will host a FREE Holiday Movie immediately after the Downtown Holiday Parade. Come to the Strand and enjoy a Christmas Classic (almost) from years past.

You see, we are not set up with the film studios yet, so we have to show a film that is in public domain. We, or shall I say Joey G., has done his due diligence, and according to the Library of Congress, the 1964 family Christmas film "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians". Now I know what you’re thinking, but hey…its free and its what we can get going quickly! So come to the Strand after the parade and enjoy an 81 minute surprise. I know it will be fun. Look forward to seeing you there!

If you are at the parade, follow the Calliope with the "Follow Me to the Strand" sign on the back. We will have Holiday music on the Calliope in front of the theatre before the movie. Thanks to Bob S. the theatre will be toasty warm.

If you are not up to "Santa Claus does whatever to the Martians", then you are still in luck. On Saturday night November 22nd we have 2 talented groups in for a concert. The Dixie Kats Dixieland Band will be joined by the Blue River Community Choir for an evening of music starting at 7:00pm. The cost is $5 at the door and all proceeds are donated directly to the Strand. The music will be great! Thank you to Kenny Bowman and Cindy Leahy for producing this exciting concert.

Now lets talk a little about the behind the scenes stuff at the theatre. I just spoke about the need to show a public domain film. That has to do with the rights to show the film. The music that is performed on our stage follows similar rules. 

The Strand passed a major milestone. We are all amateurs trying to do the best we can do. One of the things that we discovered we needed was a license for the music performed at the Strand. This isn’t an easy thing to figure out, as I quickly learned. With the help of our friends at the library of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, we were pointed in the right direction. The Strand needed to acquire a facility license from two groups. BMI, which stands for Broadcast Music, Inc. and ASCAP which is the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

With much work and research, we were finally able to apply and receive our licenses for all Strand performances. The composers of the music we play will get their rightful royalties from our venue. The Strand will submit a report quarterly to each organization that tells them of all our performances. This will include our Gross Ticket Revenue. Even if the event is free, we are still obligated to pay the royalties. While the amount will not be cheap, it is certainly gladly paid by our organization. We strive to do things correctly. This is one more thing that puts us on the path to success. Thank you to Tom at BMI and Jason at ASCAP for their assistance in the application process. Soon you will see the logos of both organizations mounted in our lobby. Next time you visit, you will know that the Strand is paying our fair share, and that we have a legal performance. With luck we will write them a really big check each quarter. The bigger their check, the more attendance we have! Good for us.

The Strand has hosted some fun events so far this month. We opened up the month with Rules of Seven. They put on a great show. The New Life United Methodist Church performed their "Spirit of America" in honor of the Veteran’s Day holiday. We also had the Snowflake Princess Contest at the Strand. It was a pleasure seeing these young girls on stage being polite and articulate as they answered the questions from the Emcee. We have a couple of pictures posted on our web site of the event. Finally we just finished a memorial service sponsored by Freeman Family Funeral Homes. This event honored those who passed away throughout the year. It was well attended and very touching.

This upcoming Thanksgiving week will be fun for the Strand Family. Martin Zinser at Occasions contacted us and expressed an interest in helping our project. He is donated a portion of the proceeds from the upcoming Flying Toasters party at Occasions. They will be playing on Wednesday November 26, 2008. The tickets are $10 and the band will start at 9:30. We believe strongly that the mission of the Strand is to promote the arts. If people are hearing live performances, we are successful. The bands that play Occasions certainly fit that bill. Please help support the Strand by attending this fun event. Thank you Martin for your help with our project! Not to be outdone, he has scheduled ANOTHER evening on Saturday December 20, 2008. Hopefully you can make it to both!

Now that we have something for you to do before you dirty all the dishes, we also have something for you after you have everything cleaned! On Friday November 28, 2008 8:00pm Smashed Productions is once again putting on a great show at the Strand. The Theatre will be hosting The Time Bandits a British Invasion cover band. If you like early and mid 60’s rock and roll, the Strand will be the place to be! Tickets are $7 at the door with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Strand! Joey G. has told me we have already pre-sold 170+ tickets. It will be fun. I look forward to hearing the early Beatles music. The dance floor will be up and the place ready to go!

Saturday leftovers won’t get you down this year, because we have you covered on Saturday night too! Popular regional bands Drop Claw and Faded Daze will be playing the Strand on Saturday November 29, 2008 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $7 with all proceeds to benefit the Strand. Have some fun and join us from great live entertainment.

Please check our web site for all our upcoming events www.strand-theatre-shelbyville.org As you can tell we are quite busy. We would love to have more volunteers help with our shows. If you are interested, please contact Rhonda Schwegman at 398-6631. 

As always, thank you for all your support. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.