Movie Night at Ramona Town Hall Theater

Ramona Town Hall has unique origins. According to Honorary Town Mayor Tim Connelly, the town hall was finished in 1894 and was donated to the townspeople of Ramona by Augustus and Martha Barnett. It is owned by the town and held in a trust by a volunteer board of five trustees.

“That building makes people stop,” says Connelly. It was originally built with adobe and no steel and needed retrofitting to be functional. They need to spend another $2.4 million to restore the town hall, and that price changes with the costs of supply and labor. He added that Town Hall is a very important part of Ramona because of its symbolism. It slowed our town from looking like every other manufactured town across the country with our three blocks of old buildings on Main Street.

The last time a movie was shown in Ramona Town Hall was 78 years ago. But Honorary Deputy Vice Mayor Garrett Wear has set out to bring the pastime back. “It’s a little hobby and passion of mine,” says Wear. Movie night originated when Wear wanted to watch movies in the town hall by himself. He says he is a bit of a rebel and thought it would be really cool to sit in an old building and watch movies. He decided to invite friends for a bit of camaraderie. Wear went one step further and started a movie night open to the community, with all the proceeds going to the Ramona Town Hall.

“We are a living-frozen-in-time town,” says Wear. He says he tries to choose movies that remind him of Ramona or what Ramona could have been like during different periods. He tries to make a connection to the town and says that even though the movies shown weren’t filmed here, it looks like they could have been. “I like to educate people,” says Wear. Before each movie, former Program Director of Turner Classic Movies, Kristina Kingsley Fairweather, provides a 5–10-minute introduction and commentary, giving a brief insight about each movie and its importance.

Wear has had two movie nights so far, and attendance for those shows was about 30 to 50 people. He is thankful for the help he has had setting up for each event. His nephew and friend work the concessions, his mom runs the ticket booth, and a few trustees of the town hall have helped. He wants to remain consistent and let the community know he plans to continue movie nights. “I have to chisel away at my list,” says Wear. He has a few ideas for the movie lineup in the coming months. He says “It’s a Wonderful Life” will definitely be shown, and he would like to incorporate a movie night during the Christmas Tree Lighting on Main Street.

The movies play in the main hall, a big room in the middle that hasn’t been open to the public in decades. It’s now up to the construction code to fit people in safely. The movie is viewed on three giant 15x12-ft canvases that are painted white and bolted down to make a movie screen. Wear is setting aside money to purchase a 22-ft wide retractable screen that will be a permanent fixture. He plans to buy this screen wholesale for $3,000 with funds from movie nights. The first two movie nights have been very successful, bringing in $1,000 each night.

Wear wants to put Ramona on the map and bring more people out through the movies he shows. He lives a vintage lifestyle and likes the idea of making it a Pleasantville. He says anyone who loves history and wants to get involved and be a part of saving it is very much appreciated. “We’re also trying to let the school districts know to tell the kids that there’s a new place to hang out now since they’re so nostalgic for the 90s.”

The next movie night is on Saturday, Sept. 28. Wear will be screening The Rocketeer and Dick Tracy. Wear says he loves dark, crime-ridden film noir movies. He adds that neo-noir is a film genre that revives the classic film noir style and themes while adding a modern sensibility. Ramona is a perfect living movie set for such a drama.

Doors open at 5:30 pm, and the movie starts at 6 pm. The double feature ticket price is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased with cash or Venmo at the door.

Comfortable cushioned chairs are set up for viewers the night before each screening. Guests can also bring their own chairs or bean bags if that is more comfortable. Kids can also lounge right up in front of the screen. They offer affordable snack options such as boxed candy, popcorn, water, lemonade, and soda. Guests can bring their own food as long as they are quiet and clean about it.

The October lineup consists of spooky movies, including:

• Saturday, October 5-It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, The Lost Boys, and Dracula (1931)

• Saturday, October 12-The Monster Squad and Frankenstein (1931)

• Saturday, October 19-The Ghost & Mr. Chicken and The Blob (1958)

• Saturday, October 26-The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (cartoon), Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, and Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922 Silent).

• Wednesday, October 30-Halloween and Halloween II.

• Thursday, October 31-The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Dress up and bring props)

Information on upcoming movies can be found on The Ramona Town Hall Theater Facebook page.

The Town Hall rents out two rooms. The basic hourly rate, which includes tables and chairs, is $30 for the east wing and $40 for the west wing. Connelly said these rooms are often rented out by various groups, and a church meets there every Sunday. They have even held weddings inside, which raise a lot of money for Town Hall’s maintenance and restoration.

A concert was recently held at Town Hall, and Ashley Norton is set to play at the Songbirds & Sunflowers 3rd Anniversary Festival on Friday, October 4. Doors open at 5 pm and the music starts at 6 pm. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Both Connelly and Wear thank Woody Kirkman for his contributions. “He is the longest-standing champion, and the building would have fallen down without his die-hard dedication,” says Connelly. Anyone interested in donating to the restoration of the townhall can ramonatownhall.org and fill out the pledge form under the “donate” tab.