Josh Mandel is the easy endorsement choice for the March 6 U.S. Senate Republican primary. He defines the term “rising star,” having been anointed by such conservative groups as Club for Growth, Jim DeMint’s Senate Conservative Fund and the state party and media such as The Plain Dealer. His background is the stuff of fundraising legend; he served two tours in Iraq, racked up public service time on Lyndhurst City Council and in the state legislature. His victory in the race for the state treasurer seat was as dominant as modern politics allows.

He is young, he raises funds at an impressive clip (The Plain Dealer described him as “ferocious”) and his ambition is as clear as the spotlight the GOP is shining on him.

There are caveats; Mandel seems more interested in a coronation than an election, failing to appear at a number of candidate events, including The Children of Liberty forum Feb. 16 at the Maumee Indoor Theatre. Elections should be earned, not predestined, but Mandel looks like he is coasting and that should give educated voters a reason to watch him closely.

As Toledo Free Press Staff Writer Caitlin McGlade reported, “The treasurer is also under fire from Democrats for not attending a single State Board of Deposit meeting. The board determines which banks hold State money.” Mandel would be wise to avoid the appearance that his eye is always looking forward and he is not focused on the moment at hand.

There are two interesting people in the race who merit future consideration. Eric LaMont Gregory, McGlade reported, “researched how to reduce neonatal death in developing countries and he developed a better method than the standard treatment to keep blood flowing in premature babies. He has had to negotiate with rebel leaders to get through war zones in order to treat women and babies. And he invented a type of thermometer that charts temperature in color coding for people in developing countries who are unable to read numbers.”

That translates into experience that could bridge the medical and political arenas.

“What happens to you after that is that everybody with a major problem comes to you regardless of what that problem is in, because you have solved a problem that most people said had no solution,” Gregory said.

Scott Rupert, who is running as an uncontested independent, is an energizing speaker with some clear-headed ideas.

“I know that Americans are not as far apart as the loud voices say they are,” Rupert said. “We the people have surrendered our government to fear.”

If Mandel wins the primary, he will face entrenched Sen. Sherrod Brown, the immovable object waiting for Mandel’s unstoppable force.

There will be time to discuss that race later, but Mandel is the clear choice for March 6.

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: Children of Liberty, Eric LaMont Gregory, Jim DeMint, Josh Mandel, Maumee Indoor Theater, Publisher's Statement, Sherrod Brown, Tom Pounds

This entry was posted on Friday, March 2nd, 2012 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

When The Undeserving releases “Almost Alive” on Sept. 6, it will be the culmination of a journey that began nearly seven years ago for the Fremont-based band.

“We’ve always been pretty confident we could have some sort of career,” The Undeserving bassist and background vocalist Jimmie Getty told Toledo Free Press Star. A 2007 graduate of Clyde High School, Getty joined the group in 2005. “We’ve always believed in the music, and our goal has always been just to write the best songs that we could and to play as much as we could. It actually feels more tangible now than it ever has before, now that we have this record coming out.”

Comprised of Getty, Brennan Willis (lead guitar, background vocals) and brothers Clay (lead vocals, piano, acoustic guitar) and Kyle Kirchenbauer (drums, background vocals),The Undeserving started getting attention from multiple record labels in early 2005 with its song, “There For You.” After putting a small team together, the band did two years of showcasing from 2006 to 2008, playing in markets like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago before landing a joint record deal with Warner Bros. Records and Cause for Alarm Records through Kevin Law in the summer of 2008.

The Undeserving

The Undeserving completed what was to be its major label debut in May 2009. The album was recorded in Nashville, Tenn., with producer Allen Salmon, mixed at the famed Electric Lady Studios in New York City by Michael Brauer (who worked with The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney) and mastered by Ted Jensen. However, the investor for Cause for Alarm Records pulled out that same year, and The Undeserving got absorbed by Warner Bros. Records completely.

As the label went through multiple personnel changes, The Undeserving was worried about what would happen next.

“We were kind of nervous that we made this record that had been mixed by Michael Brauer and mastered by Ted Jensen, and something we were really proud of and had worked on for a long time — we were afraid no one was ever going to hear it,” Getty said.

Through the support of Lori Feldman, who is the senior vice president of brand partnerships and music licensing at Warner Bros. Records, The Undeserving was able to get its music out to millions last year when “Something To Hope For” was used in a promo for Season 9 of “American Idol.” In addition, the band’s music has been featured on the TV shows “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “So You Think You Can Dance?” and CNN’s Haiti Relief public service announcement, among others.

“She was really passionate about the music and pitching it around everywhere she could,” Getty said of Feldman. “We owe a lot of gratitude to her. She’s responsible for all the syncs and stuff, and it was really just because she was passionate about the music and wanted to see it do well.”

While The Undeserving is no longer with Warner Bros. Records, the label has since signed the record back to the band and allowed it to release “Almost Alive” independently.

“It’s kind of cool to be back in the driver’s seat, and we can release it on our own,” Getty said. “We’re doing everything ourselves now.”

Getty said the plan after the album’s release is to continue touring and promote the album.

“Our main goal is basically just to keep going,” he said. “If we can support ourselves and keep doing it and be able to give back to our families some, that would be incredible.”

Pre-orders for “Almost Alive” are available on the group’s website at theundeserving.com, and the album will also be available through online retailers like iTunes and Amazon on the official release date. The band will host a release show for “Almost Alive” at Grace Community Church in Fremont on Sept. 6, as well as an additional show at the Maumee Indoor Theatre on Oct. 14. Admission for the show in Fremont is $12, while the show in Maumee is $10. The price for each event includes a copy of “Almost Alive” and kids 12 and younger get in free at both shows.

Tags: Allen Salmon, Bob Dylan, Chicago, Grace Community Church, iTunes, Jimmie Getty, Lori Feldman, los Angeles, Maumee Indoor Theater, Nashville, New York City, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, The Undeserving, Warner Bros.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 30th, 2011 at 8:42 am and is filed under In Concert, Music, Star.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The lights dim and curtains open. The music begins and credits roll.

For the next two hours, a movie transports audiences back to a time when Cary Grant ruled the big screen and Marilyn Monroe fueled fantasies for those who like it hot.

“Old movies are a time capsule. It’s living history,” said Evan Chase of Lyric Photoplay Society.

Chase organizes the classic movies at the Maumee Indoor Theater. He has been helping Toledoans catch an old flick for more than 25 years. The Maumee Indoor Theater is just one option for film lovers in Northwest Ohio to satisfy their cravings for popcorn and a nostalgic classic movie.

Chalk it up to the economic hit or an ever-changing culture of technology, but the demand for classic movies is high enough that the Valentine Theatre, Way Public Library, Rave Motion Pictures at Levis Commons, the Croswell Opera House in Adrian and the Maumee Indoor Theater are offering regular classic film series throughout the rest of winter and into spring.

“This area has always asked for something like that. It doesn’t just draw seniors, it draws across the ages,” said Kathy Petz, assistant manager and coordinator of the Rave Cinema Classics at Levis Commons, which is co-sponsored by Toledo Free Press.

“Even in economic times like we’re having, theaters are still doing well,” Chase said.

Chase started running a classic movie series in the Toledo Zoo’s theater in 1981. He is a local go-to for film history lessons.

“To see the old cars, the old buildings — it’s quite interesting just to look around at the background of these old movies,” Chase said. “It’s fun to see a lot of the old clothes because some of the clothes are in style again.”

He says his love for old films began when he would watch movies in the old State Theatre while growing up in the Old West End.

Throughout the decades since the movies at the zoo, he’s run various programs around Toledo. He even owned his own theater for a while in Morenci.

After years of primarily watching classic movies with a group in his home, he decided it was a good time to begin showing them in theaters again, he said.

In 2006, the Lyric Photoplay Society started playing movies at the Collingwood Arts Center. They transferred the program to the Maumee Indoor Theater in 2010.

Chase runs old-time previews or cartoons before the feature film to try to recreate the whole package of what going to the movies used to be like.  He also introduces the movie and gives the audience a little bit of background on the film. He wants it to be as close as possible to experiencing a movie in its original form, even down to the sound cues and quality.

“People really love that. People really get a kick out of seeing the whole program,” he said.

Petz feels that, especially now, audiences enjoy the familiarity.

“It’s back when times were easier. It’s nice to go in to see something like that and forget life for awhile,” Petz said. “They were always enjoyable. They don’t make movies like them anymore.”

She was involved in the classic and art movies at the Super Theater off Airport Highway. After that theater closed, the movie series moved to its current home inside the Rave Theater.

“People expect it. They’ve gotten used to it being around. For some reason, this area really demands that kind of product. They have a thirst for it,” she said. “Even the black and whites, they’re still great movies. You don’t have all the special effects, just when moviemaking was at its best. People really like the older stuff sometimes.”

Both Chase and Petz said audiences aren’t only retirees or the elderly who remember going to the movies when they were younger.

“It’s not all retired people. I see people of all ages and all types of people. It’s a pretty up-and- coming thing now,” Chase said.

The series at the Way Public Library in Perrysburg attracts an older audience because the library  usually shows movies in the daytime during the workweek.

“It appeals to senior citizens because they’re out and about. You show a film at Thursday at 10 a.m., the large majority is senior citizens and retirees,” said Richard Baranowski, local history librarian.

With the popularity of the monthly Thursday series, Baranowski decided to start a Sunday film festival, each featuring certain actors. February is focused on James Stewart and Katharine Hepburn.

They generally have a core group of followers, he said, but it’s not limited to only those living close to the library.

“We’re able to attract people from the whole area, not just Perrysburg. It’s people interested in film from the whole Toledo area,” Baranowski said. “It’s part of the library’s mission to provide a venue where people can access information, experience community and offer other roadways to enrich their lives.”

After a film, there is usually a discussion period.

“It’s something entertaining and at the same time, you’ve got some intellectual content,” Baranowski said.

“That kind of educates them as well as entertains them,” he said.

With the dawn of DVDs, old archives of film from studios in California are popping up more and more, Chase said. It’s helping with their appeal and popularity since the options for different movies are growing.

“The availability of all these old movies now is getting better all the time,” Chase said. “This is really the best time ever to be around when classic movies are coming out because movie companies are digging through their archives and transferring them to DVD.”

In the ’70s and ’80s, he said, the only movies available were “run-of-the-mill” and not really obscure, but now there are more genres, like film noir, available.

“I’m more excited about it now than ever because it’s like everybody is finally having access to these deep, dark archives that have been sitting for generations unseen,” he said. “There’s just fantastic stuff out there.”

The Croswell Opera House series, co-sponsored by Toledo Free Press Star, has featured such classics as “Casablanca,” “Some Like it Hot” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Tags: Maumee Indoor Theater, Rave Motion Pictures at Levis Commons, the Croswell Opera House in Adrian, Valentine Theatre, Way Public Library

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Film, Star.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Firenation Open House

Celebrate the holidays by letting out your artsy side.

Firenation, a glass studio and gallery in Holland, will host an open house Friday, Dec. 10. The event will run from 7 to 10 p.m. at the studio located at 7166 Front St.

Guests can watch a live glass blowing performed by Mathew Paskiet, an established glass artist who has worked with Dale Chihuly. They can also enjoy beverages and food and even blow their own glass bulb.

Bulb-blowing costs $40 and guests must pre-book to participate. The activity will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday.

Call 519-866-6288 or visit the website at www.firenation.com for more details.

Maumee Indoor Theatre Bette Midler tribute

The Maumee Indoor Theatre will host a Bette Midler tribute show on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Doors open for “Divine Deception” at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.

The 90 minute show will involve more than 20 musical numbers, jokes, a “plethora of costumes” and back-up singers. Jennica McCleary and her “Harlettes” will present the show that spans four decades of Bette’s entertaining career.

Tickets are $20 and are for adults 18 or older. To pre-order for reserved seats, call 614-895-8252.

Adrian Symphony Orchestra holiday show

The Adrian Symphony will present a special holiday program featuring music from the Polar Express and The Nutcracker Dec. 10 and 11.

“Storybook Christmas” will begin at 7:30 at the La-Z-Boy Center at Monroe Community College Dec 10 and at 7 p.m. Dec 11 at the Dawson Auditorium at Adrian College.

Along with music from the “Polar Express” and “The Nutcracker,” the symphony will play Howard Blake’s “The Snowman. The program will also be narrated to achieve to “storybook” feel.

Prior to the Adrian College performance, ASO Music Director John Thomas Dodson will lead an informal chat about the music the symphony will perform at 6 p.m. A reception will follow the show. Tickets for the Monroe performance are $20 for reserved seating and $30 for VIP seating. Check out www.monroecc.edu/threatre or call 734-384-4272.

Tickets for the Adrian performance are $25 and $22 for adults, $23 and $20 for seniors and $13 and $10 for students. Group rates of 10 or more are available at $18 per ticket. Call 517-264-3121 or check the Web at www.adriansymphony.org.

Downtown BG plans Holly Days concert

Downtown Bowling Green is getting into the holiday spirit early this year with the second annual Holly Days Community Concert, Dec. 11 at the ClaZel Theater. The concert, beginning at 1 p.m., will feature the Bowling Green High School Madrigals, the Falcon Five Brass Quintet, singer-songwriter Tim Tegge, the Shades of Brown vocal group and the Revamped violin duo. Each artist will perform a mix of contemporary and classic holiday songs as well as some original music. Downtown Bowling Green Director Barbara Ruland said for this year’s show, Downtown BG wanted to organize the performances to mix vocal work with instrumental music. “One of the reasons why I think this event is great is because live Christmas music really makes the holiday spirit shine,” she said.  The free concert will also host two charity efforts.  Ruland said people are welcome to bring a nonperishable food item for the BG Food Pantry or a new unwrapped toy for the Flower Basket toy drive.        — Andrew Farr

Tags: Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Bette Midler, Firenation, Maumee Indoor Theater

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 7th, 2010 at 11:20 am and is filed under Star.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Win a $14,000 ‘Running of the Brides’ bridal package

Toledo Free Press Star will give away a bridal prize package estimated at $14,000. The package coincides with Filene’s Basement Running of the Brides in Cleveland on Aug. 27. One winner will receive a stay at the Cleveland Marriot East, across from Filene’s Basement, and a gift certificate to purchase a dress at the Running of the Brides. The winner will also receive breakfast for two at the River City Grille in Cleveland.

In addition, the winner will receive free bridal makeup and hair from David Broadway Salon & Spa; a free bridal bouquet from Bumble Floral & Gifts; free bridal consultations from Crowning Celebrations; a free engagement photo session with Decisive Moment Photojournalism; a complimentary $200 cake from Cherry Lane Cakes; and chair covers from Meredith Party Rentals.  The Blarney Bullpen will offer a complimentary location for the Bride’s Choice of a rehearsal dinner, couple’s shower, day-after brunch and present opening or a reception based on the wedding party size.

To enter, visit www.facebook.com/toledofreepress, click on the Contest tab and write 100 words about your wedding proposal.

Brides and grooms looking to add a little local history to their wedding have several options in Toledo. Organizers for weddings at the Toledo Zoo, the Maumee Indoor Theater, the Manor House, the Valentine Theatre and the Toledo Museum of Art said people choose these locations for something different and memorable.

The Manor House

The Stranahans founded the Champion Spark Plug Company, which was thriving during the Great Depression. The family used their money to buy a large estate, which is now Wildwood Preserve, and build a mansion. Metroparks of the Toledo Area have kept up the mansion since they took possession of the area in 1974.

Two years ago, the Metroparks decided to allow weddings in the mansion, to raise more money for the park system.

Manor House

“It’s just a gorgeous facility with such a rich history in the Toledo landscape,” said Patty Morgenstern, a customer service manager for the Metroparks.

Couples usually get married in the house’s living room, which seats about 80 people. For receptions, the living room and solarium can fit about 130 people, if a tent is added to the back of the house. Prices for inside the house range from $925 to $1,800, excluding food.

If a couple wants to have a ceremony in the garden patio next to the house, it costs $250, Morgenstern said.

The Maumee Indoor Theater

The historic 1940s movie theater in Maumee began offering weddings when the facility reopened in 2004.

“Someone said, ‘Can we get married here?’ and I said ‘absolutely’,” said the theater’s executive director Ty Szumigala, of the decision to offer weddings.

Wedding ceremonies can be in the large theater, which seats 500 people and has a stage. People also have receptions in the smaller theater that will seat 100 people.

People often use the theater’s screens to show photos of the couple. Another big draw is the bride and groom’s names  displayed on the marquee the day of the wedding, Szumigala said.

Some brides and grooms use the theater because they didn’t want to get married in a church or endure the uncertainty of weather in an outdoor wedding while others “have been in theater and have been on stage their whole lives,” he said.

One theatrical groom took advantage of the stage’s railing during the ceremony by sliding down it to take the hand of his bride from her father, he said.

“The timing was perfect…The crowd was still laughing by the time they hit the stage,” he said.

Prices for the large theater range from $275 to $425 depending on the day and prices for the smaller room range from $275 to $325. Guests must bring their own food, Szumigala said.

The Toledo Museum of Art

Couples can marry among the great masterpieces at the Toledo Museum of Art.

In the Great Gallery, couples can say their vows in front of “The Crowning of St. Catherine” by 17th century Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. The gallery can seat up to 300 people. Ceremonies also are available on the Peristyle’s outdoor steps and in the Classic Court.

Couples can also marry and have a reception in the Cloister in the main museum and in the Glass Pavilion, which seats 250 people, said Kerri DeVol, the special events coordinator for the museum.

In the Glass Pavilion, galleries can be opened and guests can view a glassmaking demonstration for an extra cost, she said.

Room rental prices depend on a variety of factors including time, security, parking and size, so the museum does not publish the rental prices.

Catering is usually $30 to $45 a person, she said. Meals are customized for each wedding.

People who get married or have their reception in the museum usually have a connection to art or the museum itself, she said. Some even get engaged at the museum.

“One couple said they realized they were in love with each other when they were here,” she said.

The Toledo Zoo

The Toledo Zoo offers seven different locations for ceremonies or receptions. Guests can get married in the formal gardens on the Broadway Street side of the zoo, with a rain option of a wedding in the theater in the Museum of Science, said Colleen Dandar, the group sales assistant manager for the zoo.

For receptions, brides and grooms can choose from the African Lodge, the Great Hall in the Museum of Science, the aquarium, the Arctic Encounter, The Beastro or the Nairobi Event Pavilion. The venues seat between 50 and 450 people, Dandar said.

In the aquarium, Arctic Encounter and the Nairobi Event Pavilion, guests can watch the animals during the reception.

The zoo caters all receptions with all-inclusive packages starting at $45.95 a person for food, alcohol and rentals.

“We feel our package is excellent because it includes everything,” Dandar said.

Customers also are attracted to the historic significance of the zoo, she said.

The zoo was founded in 1900 after a woodchuck was donated to the City of Toledo. Now the zoo has more than 9,000 animals and is a historic tourist attraction for the Toledo area.

The Valentine Theatre

The combination of Victorian and Chinese Modern styles in The Valentine gives weddings a sense of grandeur.

The theater was built in 1895 and remodeled to a Chinese Modern theme in 1942, but it kept some of its Victorian style. The building then closed in 1982 and didn’t open again until 1999. Since its reopening, the theater has been hosting weddings.

Ceremonies often are on the grand staircase in the theater’s Historic Lobby. The bride usually walks down the stairway, which acts as an aisle.

“The trip down the stairs just never gets old,” said Dan Heberling, who is in charge of events for the theater.

The Historic Lobby also can seat about 100 people for a reception, he said.

Reception dinners also are available on the theater’s stage with special lighting available from the theater’s technical director. The stage can seat about 220 people for dinner with dancing available in the Historic Lobby.

The Grand Lobby, which can seat 230 people, is commonly used for large receptions, he said. It features high ceilings and a mural of famous performers at the Valentine during the early 1900s. Rental prices at the Valentine start at $400.

“It’s different and unexpected. It really lends itself to these social events,” Heberling said, of the theater.

Tags: Here comes The Guide, Manor House, Maumee Indoor Theater, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Zoo, Valentine Theater

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 at 12:31 pm and is filed under Here comes The Guide: Fall 2010, Special Section.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

While perusing UT’s bookstore before classes years ago, Toledo-native Patrick Rynn happened to pick up a blues tape.

Listening to that tape has greatly influenced Rynn’s life.

“I knew, ‘Wow this is what I’m going to do,’” said Rynn, who has been traveling around the world playing blues music professionally for more than 20 years.

Chris James and Patrick Rynn

Rynn and his band mates will come to the Toledo area Aug. 6 to play a show at Maumee Indoor Theater at 8 p.m. Local blues artist Dan “Mudfoot” Hubbs will open for the group.

Rynn, who graduated from Bowsher High School and UT, normally plays bass alongside guitarist and singer Chris James. Singer and harmonica player Rob Stone will also join them for the Maumee concert.

Stone is based in Chicago while Rynn and James live in San Diego. Stone, Rynn and James all played together with famous blues drummer and singer Sam Lay.

“It’s a special occasion when we all get together … It’s always nice but we don’t get to do it very often, only a couple times a year,” Stone said.

All three featured players have interesting stories on how they got involved in the blues.

After listening to that blues tape in college, Rynn joined the well-known Toledo blues group The Griswolds first playing the harmonica then the bass. Throughout it all, Rynn was studying to enter the health field.

“It ended up turning into a lifestyle or a career. It was not planned not what I was planning on doing,” he said of his music career.

James, on the other hand, knew that he wanted to be a musician at the age of 10 and began playing professionally at 13. Similar to Rynn, James became interested in the blues while listening to a recording.

“My stepdad introduced me to blues music when I was 10 years old. After hearing this music I decided that I wanted to be a musician and this was what I wanted to play,” James said.

James began playing harmonica with a band around his hometown of San Diego. Because he was only 13, his band mates had to look after him, he said.

“The guys I played with had to be my chaperones and guardians, I was playing in bars,” James said.

Stone also became hooked on the blues when he was young. He once snuck into a bar to hear the great harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite and bought his first harmonica the next day, he said.

Still, he went to college in Colorado to study English, and it was in Colorado that his music career began. There, he met Sam Lay and James and Rynn, he said.

All three musicians have traveled around the U.S. — including to Toledo — and the world, playing to a variety of audiences. In blues, the audience size can vary from 200 people to thousands, Stone said.

The Aug. 6 concert in Maumee will have about 500 seats available.

“A small theater is a great place to see blues. It’s going to be pretty intimate and you get the full benefit of the stage show,” Stone said.

Tickets are available at the door or online at chrisjamesandpatrickrynn.com.

Tags: Maumee Indoor Theater

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 9:17 am and is filed under In Concert, Star.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Godzilla has already invaded Tokyo and New York. Thanks to a creative 13-year-old, Toledo is next on his list.

This summer, the Maumee Indoor Theater will have a week-long marathon of Godzilla films.

Ty Szumigala, the executive director of the theater, credits the idea of hosting the marathon, dubbed “Godzillathon,” to Connor Krix, a rising eighth grader.

Krix pitched the idea to Szumigala a few months ago.

The proposal immediately caught his interest.

“I had to smile and laugh, and thought, I’m going to call him up and see if we can do something this summer!” said Szumigala.

The originality and creativity of the idea intrigued him.

“It just felt right, and I don’t know why,” he said.

The marathon holds special significance for Krix because a display in front of the theater will give moviegoers information on autism.

Krix has Asperger’s syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

His mother suggested placing a display in the theater during the marathon. Szumigala liked the idea — he has had several employees with autism — but had no idea that Krix had Asperger’s syndrome.

“She paused for a minute and said, ‘You hadn’t realized’?” he said.

The display will have information from the Autism Society on the disorder and a place for people to leave donations.

Krix said he hopes that by helping organize the marathon, other kids who have Asperger Syndrome will see that they are capable of great things.

Krix described himself as “a huge Godzilla fan.”

“Nothing can compare to him,” he said.

His dad showed him a Godzilla film for the first time when he was 2 years old. Throughout the years, his love for films featuring the monster has grown. His favorite film featuring Godzilla is “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.”

He enjoys films from the ’70s and ’80s.

“I think that the classics need to be brought back,” he said.

When he heard that a movie theater in Detroit hosted a similar marathon, he decided to suggest that the Maumee Indoor Theater bring the monster to Toledo. After thinking over the idea, he mentioned it to his parents and two younger brothers, age 6 and 9. They all agreed that it was a good idea.

Szumigala said Krix has been involved in every aspect of the organization of the marathon — he even wrote the press release for the event —, adding that he is passionate about the project and conscientious about planning meetings for the two to discuss it.

“He’s a Johnny on the spot,” he said.

From June 21-25, the Maumee Indoor Theater will host a marathon of Godzilla films. Nine films will hit the big screen, two every day with one shown twice. Tickets will be $3.50 or $25 for a week’s worth of classic monster fun. They will run on the theater’s largest screen, with an audience capacity of 500. The films will show in the early and late afternoons: noon and 2 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

This is the theater’s first foray into showing specialized films. Szumigala said the theater may have another marathon, perhaps featuring the “Star Wars” films.

TMA debuts psychedelic posters

For anyone who missed Woodstock, ’60s and ’70s rock band posters will be on display at the Toledo Museum of Art all summer.

The exhibit is called “Psychedelic 60s: Posters from the Rock Era” and will feature 150 original posters, mostly from the San Francisco area, said Amy Gilman, curator of modern and contemporary art at the museum.

“What I’d love for people to do is come expecting to have fun, and come with an open mind,” Gilman said. “[The posters are] more complicated than they originally appear.”

“Psychedelic” art, Gilman said, comes from “the era when people started experimenting with colors that hadn’t normally been put together … reds and greens, that sort of vibrate your vision, that produce visual effects, kind of psychedelic visual effects.”

Many of the posters have nearly unreadable text, she said, “because they’ve hidden the words or made the words sort of complicated to read, and I think that’s part of [the effect] as well.”

Free for members and $15 for non-members, the opening party will take place June 10. The party will include refreshments, music, cash bar, lights show and beaded curtains.

Gilman said the museum encourages people to come in costume.

From June 11 to Sept. 12, the show is open and free to the public.

Tags: Godzilla, Maumee Indoor Theater, Toledo Museum of Art

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 3:21 pm and is filed under Exhibits, Film, Star.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.