For the last five Friday's, I have been presenting a film class as part of Granite State College's OLLI Program.
While the four previous sessions were all held at the school's lovely Concord Campus on Hall Street, I wanted to make the final class of the series something special and unique. Immediately the notion of screening the last film at Concord's own Red River Theatres sprung to mind. How better to make the final class a truly memorable experience for the dozens of students?
Red River Theatres rolled out the carpet, so to speak, and helped to make the event a seamless joy in all respects and it's not unusual, since, during the past 7 years since they opened, they have become an invaluable part of our community.
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Red River Theatres is not, and I repeat - is not, an elitist, "art house cinema" catering to an exclusive clientele, and this notion has been wrongly bandied about by some who have never even stepped foot inside the theatre.
While they may indeed play films that don't involve super heroes, magicians or 3D effects that sometimes compensate for a lack of storyline or acting, they do play a great cross section of films that, if given a chance, have strong appeal for every age range and taste. In addition, they boast of great stadium seating, a concession stand that won't force you to take out a second mortgage to sample, and are a great gathering place for everyone in the community.
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They also do Sing-a-Long events and every other kind of unique, unusual and fun entertainment that you could possibly seek out. Red River has also actively involved themselves in the local culture by holding an annual Oscar Bash, and helping to make films - old and new - an important facet of a seemingly endless list of Concord area events.
Check out their website at: www.redrivertheatres.org
Shelly Hudson, Red River's Executive Director for nearly 3 years, stopped by WKXL earlier this week to chat with me on "Downtown Dialogues". WE had a really good time and Shelly and her amazing team, including volunteers, are to be credited with helping to make the downtown moviegoing experience something everyone should partake in.
You can listen in to our chat at the link below:
