The Shadow
The Town of Clifton Forge, owner of The Historic Masonic Theatre, is funding the free movie series on Sundays at the theatre located at 510 Main Street in Clifton Forge.
Having been placed in charge of restoring the theatre by the Clifton Forge Town Council, the Masonic Theatre Preservation Foundation (MTPF) successfully raised more than $6 million and restored the theatre that has the date of 1905 on its cornerstone.
The reopening of the theatre followed the completion of the restoration project that was mainly completed by July of 2016.
“Musical Mondays” is another series of movies that The Historic Masonic Theatre has launched, and musicals will be shown at 7:00 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. “Guys and Dolls,” will be screened on Mon., Feb.14, at 7:00 p.m.
The next movie in the “Sunday Movies Series” is “The Breakfast Club.” It will be shown on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 3:00 p.m.
The screening of “Brave Heart” is scheduled for Jan. 30 at 3:00 p.m. It will complete the first month of 2022’s movies: “The Blind Side,” Jan. 2; “Dirty Dancing,” Jan. 9; and “The Outsiders,” Jan. 16, having been shown previously in the series.
February’s schedule of free movies that come with free popcorn, free soft drinks, and free hotdogs, thanks to the patrons of the theatre who fund the free offerings, includes “Happy Feet,” Feb. 6,” at 3:00 p.m.; “Happy Feet 2,” Feb. 13 at 3:00 p.m., “The Help,” Feb. 20 at 3:00 p.m. and “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone,” Feb. 27, at 3:00 p.m.
The Historic Masonic Theatre’s The Underground that originally operated as a furniture store on the bottom floor of the theatre has been fully restored and is functioning as a sports bar and lounge with operating hours set for Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. till 11:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon till 7:00 p.m.
A state-of-the-art sound system has been installed in The Underground where new large-screen TVs can be viewed from comfortable seating near a full-service bar.
Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and bartenders are in charge of checking IDs.
The Underground has been dedicated to the late Tom Dean and Racey & Dean, Inc., and the Flood of 1985’s watermarks left around the walls of the bottom floor of the theatre are no longer visible, having been removed during the complete restoration of the theatre.
Justin Reiter, executive director of The Historic Masonic Theatre, expressed his appreciation to the Clifton Forge Town Council for its support in the form of a letter that was read at the Town Council meeting on Jan. 10.
Concerning the success of the movies being shown, Reiter remarked, “The Sunday series is going great.”
He noted that the series has drawn between 20 and 40 patrons to the theatre at each screening.
“Halloween was probably our best-attended, and right now, our Sunday series runs through the end of June,” Reiter concluded.
The Underground gives parents the opportunity to watch big-screen TVs in The Underground while their children watch movies on Sundays in the theatre, but there is a $5 cover charge for anyone entering The Underground while all the movies being screened above The Underground may be viewed for free.
For further information concerning the movie series and upcoming events, the theatre’s number is (540) 862-5655 and its website is www.historicmasonictheatre.com.
