President’s Blog: November 2015
Trees and Stars…
The crisp, clear nights of November are over Indiana County and the stars are converging! November and December bring an exciting array of great family events in the Christmas Tree Capitol of the World and the home of James Stewart, with his unforgettable performance in the world’s beloved holiday classic: “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
First, and foremost, for November, we salute our Veterans, which of course, includes Jimmy Stewart. For these men and women, without whom our holiday celebrations and our “Wonderful” way of life would not be possible. These folks know far more than we that: freedom is not free, and we thank them for all they have given to secure our way of life. Please give each one thanks and respect. We welcome all Veterans to visit the museum as our guests this Veterans Day.
We celebrate “It’s a Wonderful Life Weekend” Friday and Saturday November 20th and 21st. Stop in at the museum with your non-perishable food donation for our Annual Open House from 5 to 7 pm on Friday evening the 20th. Our great IUP work-study students are busy decorating the museum for the holidays, and I promise you a very special display of Stewart themed decorations throughout the museum. Thank you Stephanie, Sarah and Brandon for such a great job! The annual Downtown Indiana Light-Up Night and Parade will complete the evening.
Saturday the 21st will be a very exciting day. At 12:30 we open the new George Rothacker Painting Exhibition “The Movies and Music of Hollywood”, please join us for this great exhibit which will run through the New Year. A man of many talents, Mr. Rothacker will introduce our annual holiday film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This year, we offer a new version of the old classic, thanks to George’s work to restore the great Hollywood composer Dmitri Tiomkin’s original score to the film.
To cap the weekend events, The Annual George Bailey Dinner will take place at Indiana’s Rustic Lodge at 6 pm. This year, we honor, posthumously, Mr. Roger Reschini. Mr. Reschini was a special friend to this museum and we are pleased that his son Joe, will be on hand to accept the award. We will also introduce our new Stewart Tribute film from the Indiana County Technology Center. Please join us for an early Thanksgiving dinner and a fun and touching evening.
Folks, Check out our website at : www.jimmy.org and the Indiana County Tourist Bureau site at www.visitindianacountypa.org for additional details. And to close, just a reminder, that due to the persistent efforts of our borough officials, our home, The Indiana Community Center Building is receiving some great upgrades. We are, in light of construction issues and until further notice on our website, closed Sundays and have a delayed opening on Fridays at noon. There may be additional closings so please call if you have any concerns for your visit.
Hoping to see you here, in Indiana PA !
As ever,
Thanks for listening.
Tim