FOLA Starts 2012 '1st Thursday' Season with "Casablanca"

On Thursday, January 5 at 7 PM, FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) will start its second season of '1st Thursday' movies at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium with the showing of the classic movie, "Casablanca".  Casablanca is an  American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in the words of one character, love and virtue. He must choose between his love for a woman and helping her and her Czech Resistance leader husband escape from the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Nazis.  Casablanca won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Its characters, dialogue, and music have become iconic, and the film has grown in popularity to the point that it now consistently ranks near the top of lists of the greatest films of all time.  The line, "Play it again, Sam", has been woven into our movie culture.  The movie is free; donations are appreciated.  Other '1st Thursday' films selected by FOLA for the 2012 season include:  Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane, On the Waterfront, The Maltese Falcon, Dr. Strangelove, The Manchurian Candidate, Dances With wolves, The African Queen, Bridge Over the River Kwai, The Third Man, and Shane.  For information, 228-7239.

Okemo Meets FOLA Starts Dec. 29 with 'Young Frankenstein'

The special four movie series sponsored jointly by Okemo and FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) opens Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 pm at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium with Mel Brooks' hilarious film, "Young Frankenstein". The film stars Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard Haydn and Gene Hackman. The screenplay was written by Brooks and Wilder.The film is an affectionate parody of the classical horror film genre, in particular the various film adaptations of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein produced by Universal in the 1930s. Most of the lab equipment used as props were created by Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931 film Frankenstein. To further reflect the atmosphere of the earlier films, Brooks shot the picture entirely in black-and-white, a rarity in the 1970s, and employed 1930s-style opening credits and scene transitions such as iris outs, wipes, and fades to black. As a special added treat, FOLA will raffle-off all of the films it exhibited this past year as part of its '1st Thursday' program. These include DVDs and Blu-Rays of Mamma Mia, March of the Penguins, Secretariat, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chariots of Fire, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Harvey, and North by Northwest. The Okemo-Fola series will continue with the following films: Jan. 12, "Some Like It Hot", Jan. 19, "True Grit", and Feb. 16, "The King's Speech". In addition, FOLA will continue its first Thursday of the month series throughout 2012 starting with the all-time favorite, "Casablanca" on Jan. 5. All films are free; donations are appreciated.

FOLA Readies Christmas Tree for Celebration

In keeping with its tradition, FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) helped the Town of Ludlow ready for the Christmas season by erecting the annual Christmas tree in the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium this past week. FOLA will be sponsoring the annual Community Christmas Celebration in the Auditorium on Friday, Dec. 16 at 7 pm. The Christmas tree was decorated by members of FOLA in anticipation of the this celebration.


Pictured above is a display of the difficulty of dealing with bulbs imported from China that lack any means of connecting them to the tree is being solved, with considerable effort, by David Almond and Jim Alic as they patiently insert wire leads into the bulbs, bend the the leads to hold the bulbs securely and pass them to Susan McNeeley who has the responsibility of then bending the other end of the bulb's lead to attach it to the tree. Other FOLA members who participated in the tree decoration included: Anita Alic, Janet Pace, Jean Eggleston, Mary Jane O'Hara, and Patricia and Kevin Kuntz.


The Christmas Celebration on Dec. 16 will feature a number of area residents and students in a variety of holiday presentations.


Constance Wilcox,along with directing the Ludlow Elementary School singers and the Black River High School Chorus, will lead the "Bell Ringers" to start the program.


She will also play piano for two local singers, Cara White and Ashlee Shook, who will be singing some popular Christmas and holiday pop numbers.


The program will feature three student group performances by the Black River High School Jazz Band, the high school chorus, and the 3rd and 4th grade students from Ludlow Elementary School who will lead a sing-along to end the gala event.


Bruce Farr, a local creative writer and commentator, will read the popular Christmas poem, "The Night Before Christmas", accompanied by Tony Masteler on the guitar.


Broadway and TV writers and authors Stan and Jane Hart will offer their own seasonal play, "A Holiday Story".


George Thomson will tie the entire event together acting as program emcee. George will also present the classic reading of "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus".


The Community Christmas Celebrate is, according to FOLA chairman, Ralph Pace, "FOLA's way of thanking the community for its support of various FOLA activities". For more information about this free event, call 228-7239.

Community Christmas Celebration Dec. 16

Ludlow and the Black River area will enjoy a free "A Community Christmas Celebration" at Ludlow Town Hall's Auditorium on Friday, December 16 at 7 pm, sponsored by FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium).

Constance Wilcox,along with directing the Ludlow Elementary School singers and the Black River High School Chorus, will lead the "Bell Ringers" to start the program.


She will also play piano for two local singers, Cara White and Ashlee Shook, who will be singing some popular Christmas and holiday pop numbers.


The program will feature three student group performances by the Black River High School Jazz Band, the high school chorus, and the 3rd and 4th grade students from Ludlow Elementary School who will lead a sing-along to end the gala event.

Bruce Farr, a local creative writer and commentator, will read the popular Christmas poem, "The Night Before Christmas", accompanied by Tony Masteler on the guitar.


Broadway and TV writers and authors Stan and Jane Hart will offer their own seasonal play, "A Holiday Story".


George Thomson will tie the entire event together acting as program emcee. George will also present the classic reading of "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus".


"This will be a chance for FOLA to thank the people for supporting us and to offer everyone a chance to celebrate this holiday with family, friends, and neighbors," said Ralph Pace, FOLA chairman. He indicated that the event was free and open to all to attend.


The Community Christmas Celebration will be at Ludlow's Town Hall on Friday, December 16 at 7 pm. The event is free to everyone. For information, call 802-228-7239.