NW Kid Chaser

My family hit the movie theater this Labor Day weekend. We’ve never taken the boys to a movie before.
Truth be told - I’m a bit shy of mainstream media.
However, we decided to go for it with the recent release of “Ramona & Beezus”
I’m happy we did.

 As we have read all of the Ramona series, we were delighted to see this movie stay true to the very heart of Beverly Cleary’s work. I saw several reviews that called the production “sappy and sweet.” I would agree. It was wonderfully sappy and down-right darling sweet. My kiddos laughed. My elbow-partner cried. Three families from our neighborhood converged for the event (adults in one row - kiddies in another) and ALL agreed this film deserved two thumbs-up. I was relieved that our first movie show did not disappoint. Thanks Ramona!

Regal Cinemas is hosting free movies again this summer. Selected G or PG movies start at
 10:00am every Tuesday & Wednesday.
 Tickets and seating are first-come, first-served
and are limited to theatre capacity.

Here's the schedule for the Salem theater:
LANCASTER MALL STADIUM 11
831 Lancaster Drive NE Suite #8
Salem ,OR 97301
503-588-4047
 
June 22 & 23
Tale of Despereaux (G)
Coraline (PG)

June 29 & 30
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (G)
Astro Boy (PG)

July 6 & 7
Charlotte's Web (G)
Planet 51 (PG)
 
July 13 & 14
Rugrats The Movie (G)
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (PG)

July 20 & 21
Rugrats In Paris (G)
Kung Fu Panda (PG)

July 27 & 28
Wallace and Gromit (G)
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (PG)

August 3 & 4
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (G)
Monsters Vs. Aliens (PG)

August 10 & 11
Doogal (G)
Hotel For Dogs (PG)

August 17 & 18
Muppets From Space (G)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (PG)

August 24 & 25
Muppets Take Manhattan (G)
Aliens In The Attic (PG)

Attention Salem!
The talented troupe from Imago Theater is
coming to the Elsinore Theater in May.

Saturday, May 22nd will feature shows at 2pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are $27 for adults and $16 for kids.

Even better for parents, teachers, and homeschoolers:
A special student-edition of the show will be held on
Friday, May 21st for the low price of $7 a seat.
To get tickets for this show you need to contact Imago Theater directly at 503-231-9581 or email imagotheatre@gmail.com

I saw these folks a few years ago and they were fabulous!
Not in Salem? They tour outside Oregon as well.
Contact Imago Theater for more info.

Just this week my friend Jessica introduced me to “A Grand Night for Singing.”

This downtown Salem movie-event is held monthly and features classic movies with song lyrics projected on a screen (right underneath the action) so the whole crowd can sign along. We saw “My Fair Lady” and the gentleman next to me hit every single note. What a hoot!

I’ve already marked my calendar for May- when they’ll be showing Mary Poppins. My boys and I will be ready and willing to sing “A Spoon Full of Sugar!” at full volume.

Check out this classic book at the Public Library
for a fabulous family read and then join us for the fun!

My oldest son participated in a local production of “The Princess and the Pea” last week. Amazingly 60+ children K-12 participated in a production that went from audition to performance in just SIX days. Each actor learned their
 lines, songs, AND dance moves before suiting up in a professionally-made costume and donning stage-makeup for a wonderfully inspired rendition of this classic tale.

I just received our family's tickets for the Elsinore Theater 2009-2010 Family Series. National tours bring kid-friendly productions three times a year to our hometown. These productions tour as ‘performances for school groups’ but offer evening programs for families as well. Coming up this year, are two shows based on some of our favorite books: Charlotte’s Web and Nate the Great. We can’t miss that!

Here’s info for Salem, OR:
Elsinore Theater
170 High St SE
Salem, Oregon 97301
503-375-3574

To see if these same shows are coming to your neck of the woods (across the U.S.) --  check here.