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The Parkway Theater's last day of operation was March 22, 2009, and while it seemed this Oakland institution would be a thing of the past, the undying sprit of a group of Oaklanders and the participation of thousands of members of the community (and the World, with former-Oaklanders and current Parkway fans overseas too) have kept the dream of reopening the unique theater alive.
In case,you missed the lastest news, Carolyn Jones of The SF Chronicle broke the story of a "midwestern group of investors" called the Motion Picture Heritage Company (MPHC) and their plan to buy the Parkway Theater building from the landlords and revive the movie business that was within it. Patsy Eagan's blog OaklanderOnline tells us the group came to discover the Parkway via the efforts of Parkway Programming Director Will “The Thrill” Viharo, who presented the I Like the Parkway site to Bill Dever, the representative of MPHC.
But none of this could have happened without the tireless involvement of Peter Prato, Patsy Eagan, Councilmember Pat Kernighan, and the members of the original Facebook group "Save The Parkway" which led to the development of the "I Like The Parkway" Site.
Still, I can't help but feel sorry for Catherine and Kyle Fischer who created the whole concept of having pizza and beer at a movie in 1996, raising $140,000 with zero aide from the City of Oakland because they didn't want it. Under the plan, the landlord gets money for the building, but it seems the business model the Fisher's started, lives on without them at the place where they created it. That's got to hurt them, big time. It hurts me just to think about it.
Sunday's Meeting
Patsy informed me the Save the Parkway group is having another community meeting this Sunday at Rooz Cafe at 1918 Park Blvd in Oakland. By the way, there are two Rooz Cafe locations, so for those who think they know where it is and have the Piedmont Avenue store in mind, here's a map:
View Roos Cafe, 1918 Park, Oakland in a larger map
Regarding the meeting itself, Patsy's email reads:
Details of this pending deal shall be revealed this Sunday, May 31, at Rooz Cafe. The meeting kicks off at 3 p.m. and will serve two purposes: 1) to update the community about the said investor, and 2) reach consensus on what the public wants in their new theater. You can start this process by completing the survey at iliketheparkway.com. Following the meeting, attendees are invited to fest former Parkway employees at the Parkway Lounge. Cocktails will flow at 5 p.m.
Please join us Sunday and participate, even if you're just getting involved in this project.
A Long Short Journey
Frankly, I'm amazed and delighted to see this happen so quickly, even as it seems like a lot of water flowed under this bridge since the last day of the Parkway's operation. For those who may be just now aware of the history of the closure of the Parkway, here are two videos I created, the first one is from the cinema's last day, and the second is from the first community meeting held at the same Rooz Cafe location that's the venue for Sunday's meeting.
The Last Day Of The Parkway Theater:
First "Save The Parkway Theater" Meeting:
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