Like many of you, I had great plans this past Friday night that didn’t unfold exactly as I would have hoped.
It was to be a fabulous evening of fun and film at the The Mayfair Theatre’s grand re-opening, preceded by quick bite at Siam Kitchen, Ottawa’s longest established Thai Restaurant.
Admittedly, I may have been a tad nonchalant and underestimated this event’s draw…
My fella and I headed over to Old Ottawa South way early, hoping to get dinner in plenty of time to make it for 7pm when the festivities were set to officially kick off with a series of Independent Filmmaker’s Cooperative of Ottawa (IFCO) shorts.
Silly us. We lingered too long over our Phad Thai. By 7:15, the theatre was jammed, a long line was forming rapidly, and there was no hope of us getting a seat – even for the shorts. Fans were buzzing and it was almost immediately apparent we had miscalculated. So, we conceded defeat and headed for the warmth and comfort of our home theatre, disappointed we were missing an obviously out of the ordinary occasion!
Kudos to local cinephiles, investors, and community heroes Paul Gordon, Lee Demarbre, John Yemen and Ian Driscoll. These guys have outdone themselves, bringing their passion, their respect for history and their breadth of experience to the theatre’s rescue. We all benefit from their contribution.
Given the line up this past Friday night, there seems little doubt The Mayfair will remain an important Ottawa landmark for years to come!
Check out the Mayfair’s January Schedule by clicking below, or read more about the films showing here.
Photos by me. Movie Schedule from The Mayfair Theatre.
