Residents who want to enjoy the familiar pastime of a night at the movies can come to the Leo J. Welder Center for a safe, socially distanced experience while enjoying food from some of Victoria’s downtown restaurants.
The Victoria Main Street Program has partnered with the Leo J. Welder Center for the dinner-and-a-movie series. The series kicked off Sept. 18 and will continue Oct. 2, 16 and 30. The first movie night was catered by Vela Farms, and future events will be catered by Boards; Eatz Café; and Rosebud Records, Grill & Theater. Movie tickets are $5, and meal tickets are $10.
Main Street Program Director Danielle Williams said the idea for the series grew out of conversations with Assistant City Manager Mike Etienne about ways to bring more people downtown for new experiences.
“This is a way for us to introduce people to some of our downtown restaurants that they may not have tried before,” Williams said.
The series features four classic films from the 1960s. The Welder Center earlier this year hosted a family film series aimed at families with children, so the new series is an opportunity to bring a different audience downtown, Williams said.
“The Welder Center has been a great partner in facilitating this event,” Williams said. “They already had experience hosting film screenings during COVID-19, so they were ready to go.”
The Welder Center’s ticketing system allows staff to assign seating in a way that keeps groups apart from each other in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. Attendees have their temperatures checked when entering the theater, and hand sanitizing stations are available. Masks are required upon entry, and meals are individually packaged.
Sue Prudhomme, executive director of Victoria College’s Cultural Affairs unit, which includes the Welder Center, said Welder Center staff carefully consider guidelines issued by Governor Abbott’s office when determining how to safely host events.
“The goal of the Welder Center is to provide cultural enrichment opportunities for the community, and it was a pleasure to work with the Victoria Main Street Program to provide that enrichment during these difficult times,” Prudhomme said.
Williams continues to research ways to safely host downtown events during the pandemic, and she encourages Victoria residents to follow the CDC’s recommendations to reduce community transmission so that more events can be offered.
More information about the film series, including the titles of films being screened and the food that will be served, will be posted on the Main Street Program’s Facebook page as it becomes available.
For more information about the Victoria Main Street Program, visit www.victoriatx.gov/mainstreet..
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