After the Night-Sky failed to open for the 2018 season I've been very quiet on the website. I've not been involved in any outdoor theatre since then. But now there is a glimmer of hope that the lights might come back on at the Night-Sky. I've been in talks with the current land owner (a development company), and I was let into look around. The house has not been lived in since Gary moved out and we would not have access to the house, just the yard. At this time I do not know if this will be a full season, a part season, or just one night. As soon as the development company decides if having us there is a liability or not, we'll know if it's a go or not and I should know in the next week or so. Then I'll get to really assess the condition there. What I do know is that the screen is still standing, the projection booth is intact. I have the equipment packed away so while it is very much antiquated, it's been dry and warm so it should still function. The power has been shut off to the house and won't be turned on for us, so I'd have to bring in my generator. If we get to do a full season it would probably be every other weekend, unless someone wants to help me run the place, and make decisions about it. I'll update this when I know more.
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Hi there. We hope you all had a safe and fun holiday season. It's March 28th as I write this and we are starting to think about the summer movies. At this time we still are not 100% sure that we will be open for the 2018 season, but the land owners will allow us to stay until at least next fall. The screen has survived the winter weather ok so far, so these are all pluses for another year. We are still using VHS only for our media source so you could say we are still showing on film. Obviously it can be a little tricky to get movies we all want to see on VHS but when the opening gets a little closer I'll start looking. If everything comes together we are looking to re-open on Memorial weekend so that would probably make the first night May 25th. That is a tentative opening date at this point.
The Last night of the 2017 season at the Night-Sky will be Sunday September 3rd. We'd like to thank you for coming out to the movies and we hope to be able to see you next year.
Tomorrow night will be the annual 4th of July event. It does not look like we will be able to switch over to using my equipment at this time so we will run the remainder of the system with the VHS equipment. Because of technical limitations it is impossible to stream a live show at the Night-Sky so rather than viewing a live fireworks display we will be showing a classic display from 1986!
We are beginning to run low on movies to show this year, and it is because getting titles on VHS is getting harder and harder. Currently we have enough movies to last though the end of July without any repeating anything. Starting with the first weekend in August the second movie will be a repeat of a more popular movie with either showed earlier this year or last year. This is being done to ensure we can play double features though the end of the year and be able do the annual camp overnight in August. To answer a few questions. The Night-Sky is open for the season. All friends of the former Sit & Vue are welcome to attend. At this point we have been unable to over come the technical challenges involved in changing the projection equipment so we are still using VHS. We are planning to do something for the 4th of July, The all night movie night that was tradition at the Sit & Vue will move over to the Night-Sky provided we are able to obtain sufficient VHS material to hold an all nighter without affecting the overall length of the season.
If you reading this chances are pretty good that you already know that the Sit & Vue which was my outdoor theatre has now closed. The Night-Sky is truly not mine, but it is a friends theatre and that friend is no in very good health. He is planning to move into a retirement facility at some point, but in the mean time he has sold his house and property to developers and he is continuing to live there until they are ready to develop. At this time we know that we will open for the entire summer season of 2017. I am looking at doing a few things to improve the presentation. I'd really like to eliminate his projection booth as it as well as the equipment is no long in a very good condition. The problem with this scenario is that would greatly ' lengthen the throw distance for the projector, as we would have to shoot off his porch, and we do not own a projector that is capable of shooting a 9X12' image on a 60 foot throw, so we will have to see if we can come up with an in expensive solution.
The Night-Sky will be going to broadcasting it's sound exclusively this year. The speakers on the fence are simply in to bad of shape to used any longer. We'll be using AM 650 and we will have two loaner radios available. We are hoping to open one or two weekends before memorial day so either the 12th or the 19th. At this time programming will depend on whether we are still using the VHS equipment in the booth or if we have been able to come up with a solution that will let us project off the porch, which would also allow us to us my laptop and DVD player for media sources. Dear Friends of the Sit & Vue. I'm sorry that I have been so quiet over the winter, but there has been something bad brewing since January and I have been hesitant to speak until I knew for sure what was going to happen and now unfortunately I do. The Sit & Vue Outdoor Theatre will not be re-opening. My partner the for the last few years spent the winter in a different part of the county and he had originally planned to be back during the winter, but instead he has decided to make his move permanent. He will be moving his things and putting his house up for sale soon, with that we will loose the space that the Sit & Vue currently resides on. I do not know what will happen to his equipment at this time. He owns some of it while I own some of it. Obviously I will be keeping my stuff, I do not know what will happen to his stuff. He owns screens #2 & #3 and I own the old plywood screen. I'm not real keen on moving the plywood screen and I don't really have a place for it either. For sure I will be pulling my Projector, AM transmitter and the laptop that is used create and play the programming. With any luck some of the equipment may find it's way to the Night-Sky for this summer since it will be back for the 2017 summer season at least. I'm sorry I didn't give more notice on the closure of the Sit & Vue but I didn't want to disappoint folk until I got the final word. I am not currently looking to relocate the Sit & Vue for a second time. A lot of work went into what amounted to only two seasons, I don't really want to go though that again, plus as long as the Night-Sky is around I get to pretty much run it for Gary. Speaking of the Night-Sky it will be back for the 2017 summer season. Typically his season has been Memorial day weekend until Labor day weekend. I'm hoping that we might be able to get started a little bit earlier this year, but the Night-Sky is on a hill much like the Sit & Vue was originally so we need to make sure that hill isn't to slippery before we open for the season. He is also still running a VHS machine there so we need to make sure we have enough material to last for the summer without to many repeats. His video system is a home build rack system which has no external inputs on it, so it would be difficult to simply add a DVD player or use a laptop like we did at the Sit & Vue, but now that I have enough surplus equipment for one entire screen you never know. Right now I'm just happy that at least the Night-Sky will have one more summer year. I would also like to invite all of the friends of the Sit & Vue out to the Night-Sky anytime it is open, you will be welcome to attend as my friend. Additionally we are considering doing a potluck snack table at the Night-Sky much like we did at the original Sit & Vue. Gary has a really neat popcorn machine and likes to give everyone who attends a bag, so I think the potluck snack table concept would work out good there. We will have to wait and see, but in the mean time I will be looking forward to seeing you at the Night-Sky. Thank you for 11 wonderful years at the Sit & Vue it wouldn't have been the same without you!
This is not set in stone yet, but looking at the long range forecast and attendance the past few weeks, it looks like we will have another two weekends left. The forecast at this time is questionable for next Saturday 24th so we will have to watch the forecast the next couple of days. We usually try to make a call one way or another by the Wednesday before. The current forecast for the following weekend the 30th / 1st is looking good at this time and at this time I suspect that will be the last weekend of the season. It could possibly go even one more weekend after that but I'm thinking it's pretty unlikely, we will have see. After that we will close for the season. Next year we are looking to reopen Sit & Vue in late April / early March. We will probably not know until next spring if the Night-Sky will have another season or not. Currently: Sit & Vue: Open Night-Sky: Closed, we had a great 2016 season! It's that time of year where we start winding down. But first at both theatres we'll be showing movies Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights labor day weekend. After that the Sit & Vue will go down to just one screen and will continue to show movies on Friday and Saturday nights for a few weeks or longer depending on how weather holds out and turn outs. After that the Sit & Vue will close for the season. The last movie night for the Night-Sky will be Sunday September 4th. At this time we have no idea if there will be a 2017 season for the Night-Sky, we will keep you posted on that.
I've had a few folks ask me some questions that I thought I should address here, mostly regarding the future of the Night-Sky, but also my continued involvement with the Sit & Vue.
No I am not leaving the Sit & Vue theater, quitting or retiring from BYT. The plan is and always has been that since we moved the theater to his place the first year I would run it, after that it would become more his than mine. With him taking on more of the day to day stuff and me taking more of a back ground roll, but I'm not planning on leaving the Sit & Vue at all. This year, and for as long as the Night-Sky remains open I will be over there quite a lot however, as the owner of the Night-Sky has been having health issues and we have been trying to help him out as best we can. As far as the Night-Sky is concerned we don't know how much longer it will be around. Most of the theatre equipment is in bad shape and the owners health is failing. He has put his house and property up for sale and when it sells he will be moving into a retirement community. He says he is not in hurry and wants to get as much for the place as he can, but that money will be what he lives off of. Obviously if the sale goes though over the winter that will close the theater. The equipment is well worn at best. The biggest concern is with the screen, it's weakened supports and wind. We have been able to over come some of the sound issues and we could over come most projector issues / booth roof leaking issues, but if the screen were to come down that would pretty much be the end. That said, the Night-Sky will be running though Labor day weekend this year when we will close hopefully for the season. Anything beyond that I am unsure of, but if he still owns the place and wants the theater to run next year and the screen is still useable I will be there to help him run it. |
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