Canned good donations for the Franklin Area Food Pantry will be welcomed at the 8:30 p.m. free screening of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. In the 1946 classic, an angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.
Downtown Turners Falls in Montague will be the site of a pre-holiday "It's a Wonderful Night" Dec. 13.
MONTAGUE—It’ll be a wonderful night in downtown Turners Falls as musicians stroll along Avenue A—the main thoroughfare in this village of Montague—a tree is lighted at 7 p.m. in Spinner Park as carolers sing favorite songs and then the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” movie is shown for free at the Shea Theater.
Businesses will stay open late for the event and feature special treats in honor of the occasion. There will be free popcorn balls and balloons at Loot, children will eat for free at Jake’s Tavern from 5 to 9 p.m., there will be a warming fire pit at Ristorante DiPaolo, and other businesses will have specials like the signature slugs in different forms at Nina’s Nook.
Storefront windows will be festively decorated for the Dec. 13, event that runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
"’It's a Wonderful Night in Turners Falls’ is an opportunity to invite folks downtown as a reminder of what a lovely and walkable village Turners Falls is as well as the potential that still remains,” said Erin K. MacLean, a proprietor of Loot. “With the addition of new ventures such as the Powertown Pop-up shop and the recently opened Black Cow Burger, in conjunction with the best kept secret of Turners Falls, The Shea Theater, there is more than initially meets the eye in downtown Turners Falls.”
There are a few remaining storefronts available for rent, and the town is poised to “take off,” especially once work on the Gill-Montague bridge is completed, she added. “Perhaps when people see these spaces light up and re-imagined through the efforts of RiverCulture and area artists, they will recognize the entrepreneurial opportunities still available downtown.”
Turners Falls RiverCulture is a project that works to create a vibrant and connected Turners Falls community through innovative partnerships and cultural programming.
Lisa B. Davol, Turners Falls RiverCulture director, said “It’s a Wonderful Night” will be an opportunity for visitors and shoppers to “see everything all at once” from shopping and dining opportunities to festive activities.
“There are shopping opportunities and interesting things happening in town,” she said. “This is going to be a festive event at a beautiful time of year especially in our town.”
Nina Rossi, owner of Nina’s Nook, said the event is a way to promote and enhance a revitalized downtown Turners Falls. “And we wanted to do something fun for the holidays….I think this will be a lot of fun.”
Canned good donations for the Franklin Area Food Pantry will be welcomed at the 8:30 p.m. free screening of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. In the 1946 classic, an angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.
Michael J. Glazier, Shea program director, said the theater’s involvement in “It’s a Wonderful Night” is a way to help “increase spirit” at holiday time, which “is traditionally a busy time, and sometimes tough for a lot of folks.”
In addition, “it’s a way to bring more people into the theater and the downtown area.”
“It’s a Wonderful Night” is being organized by Nina's Nook and Loot in collaboration with RiverCulture, the Shea Theater, Jake's Tavern and the Montague Business Association.