Release Date: March 27, 2014
LONGMONT’S HISTORY ON STAGE AND SCREEN AT THE DICKENS OPERA HOUSE
LONGMONT’S HISTORY ON STAGE AND SCREEN AT THE DICKENS OPERA HOUSE
Program includes history of Dickens Opera House, 1940 Longmont film
LONGMONT, Colo. – The Dickens Opera House and the Longmont Museum present an evening of Longmont history on Sunday, April 6, from 5 pm to 7 pm. The historic Dickens Opera House, the oldest performance venue in Longmont, will host “Longmont’s History on Stage and Screen,” a program by Longmont Museum curator Erik Mason. Program admission is $5, doors open at 5 pm for dinner and the program begins at 6 pm. Proceeds will benefit the Longmont Museum.
The program will begin with a presentation on the history of the Dickens Opera House. Built in 1881 by Longmont entrepreneur and businessman William Henry Dickens, it hosted national performing acts as well as local groups throughout its early history. Performers such as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Blind Tom Wiggins, and Hungarian violinist Eduoard Remenyi delighted Longmont audiences in the 1880s and 1890s. In recent years, under the direction of owners Lynn and Sean Owens, the Dickens has been reborn as a performance venue and again hosts a variety of national touring acts and local performers.
The 1940 film “Longmont on Parade” will complete the evening. Shown multiple times to sold-out audiences at the Longmont Museum, the film is a rare glimpse of life in Longmont in 1940. Local businesses, schoolchildren, and civic leaders all take their bow in this professionally-produced 20 minute film about Longmont.
Information about the Dickens Opera House
The Dickens Opera House is upstairs from the Dickens Tavern at 300 Main Street in Longmont. It hosts live music and entertainment four to five nights a week, from national touring acts such as Kip Winger and Frank Hannon of Tesla, to a wide variety of local and regional bands from Face to Wendy Woo. For more information about upcoming shows, visit www.dickensoperahouse.com
Information about the Longmont Museum
The Longmont Museum & Cultural Center is located at 400 Quail Road in Longmont, Colorado. Museum hours are 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Saturday, and 1 pm to 5 pm on Sunday. Admission to the Museum’s special exhibits is $5 for adults, $3 for students/seniors (62+) and free for children 5 and under. Admission is free to special exhibits on the second Saturday of the month. For more information, contact the Museum at 303-651-8374, or visit www.longmontmuseum.org
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Photo caption: Dickens Opera House about 1907. Photo courtesy Longmont Museum