Our Visit with David Arquette in a Plexiglas Box in NYC!

On Tuesday, Tom Kiefaber and Gayle Grove from The Senator took me with them up to New York City to visit their friend, actor David Arquette. David was sitting in a plexiglas box on top of the marquee of Madison Square Garden, to raise awareness about hunger for Feeding America, as part of the Snickers Bar Hunger campaign.



Tom and Gayle had known David for a while. He visited The Senator when he was promoting his film "The Tripper," and they've been in touch with him since then. When we found out he would be sitting in the box to raise awareness about hunger, we initially thought maybe he could bring the box on the road and sit on top of The Senator's marquee. We all liked his cause, because The Senator has collected tons of food over the years for a local food pantry.

I knew that Gayle had been in touch with David about this, so I was sitting in The Senator's lobby one day and I happened to be thinking about how cool it would be if we could go visit David Arquette in the box. In a weird kind of synchronicity, just as I was thinking that, Tom walked into the lobby and almost immediately got a call from David, who then invited us up to visit.

We took the MegaBus from White Marsh to NYC. A double-decker bus with wireless that costs less than $20 to take you into Manhattan! I'll be doing that again!

We took The Senator's mascot, Squid on the Go, with us. Squid was discovered by a volunteer, Colin Harris, who noticed that if you put your hand between the knobs on the popcorn bins just right, it looks like a squid with two eyes. Several of us had said that when The Senator is closed (as is likely after the auction), we'll miss squid. Another volunteer, Marty Kahl, invented Squid on the Go, so we'll always be able to take a piece of The Senator with us. Strange things happen at night when you're sitting behind the concession stand at a historic theatre. Anyway, David Arquette met Squid and became the first Celebrity Squid!

It was a bit noisy in the box, so much of the video I recorded was not very audible. I did manage to get a few of the fun clips into the video above, though.

David asked us about the upcoming auction of The Senator, and later spoke on the phone to Laura Vozzella at the Sun, to whom he noted "Just the fact that it's going to auction is really sad, that they weren't allowed to turn it into a nonprofit."

Later, I asked David about his work with Feeding America, which he's been supporting for a few years now. He said 36 million people in this country are considered "food insecure." They don't know where their next meal is coming from.

David Arquette: Feeding America from a Plexiglas Box

David Arquette spent today sitting in a Plexiglas box atop the marquee of Madison Square Garden in New York City. No, really. And he'll be there tomorrow, too. David is there to raise awareness of hunger in America for Feeding America. His stay in the box is being sponsored by Snickers, which is also raising money through a Facebook page.

David told me today that he first got involved with Feeding America when he began working on a program to provide school lunches for needy kids throughout the summer. He's been working with them ever since.

I went up to New York today to visit with David in the box, thanks to his friendship with the folks at The Senator Theatre here in Baltimore. David visited The Senator at some point and made friends with manager Gayle Grove and owner Tom Kiefaber. They've been keeping in touch with him ever since, and David has blogged about the need to preserve The Senator for future generations. So, David invited Tom and Gayle up to visit him in the box, and I tagged along as their videographer.

Although it was noisy in the box with all the traffic and the fan trying to move the air and dispel the heat on a New York summer day, I think I got some great video. I'm on the bus on the way home now, so I hope to be able to post that soon. David and Gayle even did the running man dance, which is a Gayle Grove tradition everywhere she goes.

Thanks to David Arquette for letting us visit, and especially for supporting such a great cause. Please go to the Snickers page on Facebook and join the cause.

UPDATE: Some of the photos...

Amazing Weekend at the Senator!

Wow. I had a little too much fun at the Senator this weekend, which is maybe why I couldn’t get a blog post together yesterday. I want to thank Tom Kiefaber, Sean Brescia of Clearpath Management, Gayle and the rest of the staff at the Senator, and of course all the wonderful musicians and local businesses who volunteered their talents and services to make the Senator Sessions a great success! Thank you for a wonderful, exciting weekend. Best time I’ve had since I moved to Baltimore, and I am thrilled to know such talent is in the area!

The emerging shared vision of the Senator as a premiere multi-use arts and entertainment facility has now been successfully demonstrated as an evolving reality. This weekend was the icing on a cake that was baked over the past few weeks during other events like the inauguration, the Super Bowl, the Mind Field premiere, as well as showings of some of the finest current Hollywood movies.

The question remains whether, without community input, the city’s steering committee is sharing this vision, or even has a plan at all.

I want to echo David Arquette’s warning in his recent blog post about the Senator: there is indeed a danger of this cherished local resource falling into the wrong hands. This is not necessarily because anything malicious is happening. It’s just that the city does not have a good track record for planning of community spaces, as I think many of my neighbors who remember all the struggles over the Belvedere Square redevelopment project can attest.

Right now, it’s unclear whether the city has a plan for the Senator, and I understand from a conversation with a steering committee member that nobody on the steering committee has any experience in running a theater. My guess is that the city stepped in to try to help in what everyone agrees is an emergency situation, but they’re unprepared to help.

Unfortunately, they so far have not heeded what was the real request that came out of the emergency town hall at the Senator in January --- we asked them to come to the table with local community and business association leaders, community members, and Tom Kiefaber to discuss openly what can be done to put the Senator into the hands of a community-owned non-profit and transition it in a seamless way that will keep the doors open. So far, the city is having their own little private meetings and has not come to the table with all of us.

As for Tom Kiefaber, he knows just as well as Dan Rodricks at the Sun does that this is not about him. The Senator is bigger and more important than one man, and everyone knows that. I think Tom knows he has to give it up and let other people run the place, but let’s face it --- so far this is his life’s work. He’s been saving the Senator for over 20 years. Of course he doesn’t want to just let it go unless there’s a plan in place for it to be going in the right direction and safely in the hands of the community that loves it. Anyone who has done work they cared about deeply must understand that. It’s only natural.

The public also may not understand that the city really isn’t offering anything directly to Tom Kiefaber in their bid to acquire the Senator. The $320K figure they’ve floated would only pay off a small, currently unsecured portion of a much larger debt of more than $900K. It would be going straight to the bank, none of it into Tom’s pocket. He and his family are going to be in dire financial straits even if they take this deal. This is what I’m able to glean from the public record. Since the loan is secured by their home as collateral, it may in fact be a matter of taking the deal or losing their home (the fact that their home is currently collateral was reported in the Sun). More public money seems unlikely to be the solution, but from a standpoint of human compassion, I really have to say I hate to think that the family that made such huge personal sacrifices to keep the Senator open for the past 20 years is going to continue to suffer as a consequence. That part of this really breaks my heart.

I also want to just express a plea for not only keeping the doors open, but also keeping the staff of the Senator employed. There are a lot of good people there who stand to lose their jobs in this horrendous economy.

So, there’s a lot of positive stuff that can come out of this, as the wonderful weekend of fun just demonstrated. There’s also some bad consequences that could happen if we’re not careful. I want to see a solution that serves the highest good for the entire community, and keeps the Senator open as the multi-purpose arts and entertainment venue it needs to be.

Please enjoy my amateur videos of the events.

Friday Night Baltimore Revue:



Saturday Acoustic Love Songs:



Sunday Left Bank Jazz Revisited:



Sunday Night Psychedelic Show:

WOW! Look what David Arquette just did!

David Arquette just posted an awesome blog post on saving the Senator Theatre! Thanks, David!

Partial quote:

The Senator Theater in Baltimore Maryland. This historic single-screen Art Deco Movie Theater was completed in 1939 and has been family owned for 69 years. It is breath taking, terrazzo floors, art deco murals, multi-colored glass bricks that serve as the backdrop to a classic neon sign, and a huge golden curtain that opens to reveal an era of film appreciation that has long been forgotten. The Senator Theater was added to the National Resister of Historic Places in 1989 but is (RIGHT NOW) in danger of falling into the wrong hands and ultimately becoming yet another soul-less mini mall type breeding ground for a large mouse that has a passion for pizza, video games and cheap beer.

A fundraising event starting this Friday February 13 and continuing through the 15th is scheduled to help save this gem of Americana. There will be several local bands, food, and entertainment so please go to http://www.senator.com/ to get all of the information you need to help preserve this beautiful example of the art deco architecture.

Why do I care? Because I’ve seen it, I’ve walked through it’s sacred halls, I love it and I want my daughter to see it, wonder through it in awe, and love it as I do someday soon. I want to help save it - by making sure the current owner Tom Kiefaber (who’s family has owned it for 69 years) has a say in it’s preservation and can pay the bills necessary to help it in it’s transition to becoming a non-profit that will allow The Senator to remain safe in the hands of the people, to live for generations to come, so that their children’s children can relish in it’s beauty.

The Super Bowl and Local Bands to Rock the Senator

It looks like there are some exciting efforts coalescing around the efforts to save the historic Senator Theatre in Baltimore.

This Sunday, the Senator will be hosting an HD Digital presentation of the Super Bowl on the big screen. Come watch as the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Arizona Cardinals!

Admission is free, but donations of non-perishable food are encouraged, because this event will serve as a food drive for the local GEDCO “Cares” food pantry.

Doors open at 5:00 PM. Kickoff is at 6:18 PM. The Senator seats 900, but based on the turnout for the inauguration event just over a week ago, you may want to get there early.

But what about the beer? Yeah, I know. Watching the Super Bowl works up a thirst, right? Don’t worry. There will be beer and wine sales to people over 21.

Hey! I just wrote my first blog about sports, and it didn’t even hurt. (OK, I admit to being not much of a sports fan personally, but I think I’ll go to this anyway.)

The next event is more like my cup of tea, really.

Starting on February 13th, there’s going to be a whole weekend of local band concerts to rock the Senator and help save it too. There’s a press release that came out yesterday, but it’s an evolving situation, and I hear the events will be much more extensive than the press release that’s on the Senator’s web site says right now.

I’m not sure it’s all set in stone, but it looks like there will be a rock concert on Friday night, the 13th, then an acoustic concert on Saturday, then a jazz concert on Sunday. Stay tuned for details, because I don’t know all of the band names or details just yet. But anyway, here’s a quote from the original press release:

BALTIMORE - Popular Baltimore-based bands The Payola Reserve, J Roddy Walston and The Business, and Wye Oak announced today their plans to hold a first-of-its kind live benefit concert to help the renowned Senator Theatre remain in operation. The concert is a timely response to actor David Arquette's recent celebrity MySpace blog highlighting the endangered status of "Baltimore's Premiere Showplace".

The Senator, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is converting to non-profit operation as an enhanced arts and entertainment facility; however the recent economic downturn and fixed overhead costs threaten to shutter the stunning art deco landmark theatre before the transition can be accomplished.

The indie band showcase, co-produced by The Payola Reserve and Manifesto Promotions, is envisioned as "a Fillmore-style rock revue with an arts twist" by promoter Sean Brescia." The concert, featuring an array of popular local bands, film
shorts and performing arts, is scheduled for Saturday, February 14, 2009. Proceeds will assist The Senator's transition into a community owned non-profit facility, offering a wide variety of live music concerts, HD simulcasts, films and special events.

I heard the rock concert is now going to be on Friday night, though, so I’m not sure that last paragraph I quoted is accurate.

As mentioned in the press release, the Senator is also getting some celebrity attention from actor David Arquette, who visited Baltimore and was really impressed by the theater. Thanks, David!

The Theatre Historical Society of America is also getting involved, writing in a letter from their president Karen Colizzi Noonan to Governor Martin O’Malley, Mayor Sheila Dixon, and city and state legislatures:

For nearly 70 years, The Senator Theatre has served Baltimore as an icon of architectural distinction, cultural excellence and civic pride; a revered and iconic neighborhood movie house whose neighborhood happens to be all of America.

When the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Main Street Center named "historic theaters nation-wide" as their top endangered element of American life, an image of The Senator's stunning facade was used as the attention-getting hallmark representing the mission to "Protect the Irreplaceable".

Truly, The Senator Theatre in Baltimore is one of the most intact and well known examples of the architecture, grandeur and elegance of Hollywood's golden era, when the theatres were themselves attractions along with the films being shown.

Today, we find ourselves at a cross roads for this magnificent, renowned structure. It either remains in day-to-day operation to evolve, or we watch it slip from our American tapestry. In the coming weeks the country will be literally watching Baltimore and the State of Maryland in relation to the precarious fate of the endangered Senator Theatre.

…

In 2009, The Senator now stands as the only remaining single-screen movie house in Baltimore, a former "City of Theatres", which once boasted over 150 unique movie houses that served as cultural centers and economic engines, anchoring the heart of the city's commercial and residential districts.

If The Senator's owner is not assisted in his efforts and the theatre is allowed to go dark, it will be to the detriment of Baltimore's historic fabric and economic vitality. An abrupt shutdown of the theatre must be averted, or it will quickly become a regrettable failure of vision and civic responsibility and a resounding loss to the cause of enlightened historic preservation nation-wide.

…

Owner Tom Kiefaber and his family have worked diligently for seven decades to protect, operate and preserve The Senator for the citizens of Baltimore. The theatre
under Kiefaber's independent stewardship and guidance is regularly honored in the national arena as a consistent, guiding light for the protection and preservation of America's remaining Main Street theatres.

Mr. Kiefaber has received numerous historic preservation awards and film industry
accolades as The Senator's devoted owner. We note that through his leadership, the community has been encouraged to become involved and helped to formulate an innovative vision for The Senator Theatre's future as the premiere, community-owned arts and entertainment venue in the region.

You can read the rest of the letter here.

For their part, the City seems to be slowly getting on board, also. My letter to Mayor Sheila Dixon received a response that said, in part “I assure you that we are committed to finding a long term solution that secures The Senator's future for generations to come.” That sure sounds like they plan to find a way to keep it open, which is encouraging.

Of course, the Senator also continues to play movies on a daily basis. Starting Friday, look for a return engagement of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which played there a couple of weeks ago and is back by popular demand.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend this movie, which has been nominated for 13 Academy Awards. I always like movies that are just a tad off-kilter from the reality with which we’re familiar, so the concept of a man who gets younger instead of older was immediately intriguing to me. Brad Pitt’s character, Benjamin Button, isn’t just a freak, though, but someone with surprisingly normal problems. Both he and Cate Blanchett are amazing in this movie.

If you enjoy being astounded by the crazy things film makers can do in terms of creating appearances, you’re going to have your jaw drop to your chest when you see the age makeup in this movie, too. You could just about swear they invented time travel just so they could film Pitt and Blanchett when they’re like 80 years old. It’s pretty wild stuff, but I bet it’s a lot more fun for us to watch than it was for them to wear.

Check the web site for times.