Blogging, A.K.A. partying like it’s 1999 means plugging upcoming events and, lo and behold, the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum a.k.a. NESFM has an excellent one scheduled tomorrow at noon PST, 3:00 p.m. EST.
Direct from the parking lot of the NESFM, there will be an event highlighting the ongoing renovations to the museum and Edison Theater and the unveiling of an architectural model of the building as it will look when the current work is finished. All online donations made between now and June 6 will go to the building renovation fund.
As museum members, the gang at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog are happy as could be to chip in to the fundraiser - although it's a bummer we can't be there physically and then grab a sandwich at Broncho Billy's Pizza later.
NESFM's David Kiehn, historian, author of Broncho Billy and the Essanay Film Company and prime mover behind the museum's activities and programs, has been directly involved in amazing discoveries. Here, David elaborates on his detective work which located historic 1906 pre and post San Francisco earthquake footage shot by pioneering filmmakers the Miles brothers.
The museum's Zack Sutherland has produced the following promotional video for tomorrow's fundraiser.
Quoting the official press release:
For the first time in well over a year we're hosting a live...yes, live social distanced fundraising social for our museum in the parking lot.
For those of you who don't know yet, our landlord, Victoria (Vicky) Lopez passed away in late 2019. She lived a good long life and was kind enough to donate the property to our non-profit organization for which we will be eternally grateful.
With ownership also comes the responsibility for maintaining a 108 year-old building and the need to do major upgrades to the foundation, plumbing, electrical, and other tasks. We are also refurbishing the auditorium and bringing it back to its authentic heyday when it was a silent film theater from 1913 to 1923.
Your generosity will surely make our museum one of the crown jewels of the Bay Area.
NESFM's Saturday show host and newseditor Michael Bonham presents the vintage pre-1910 movie cameras on the premises with the author of Aviators In Early Hollywood, Shawna Kelly.
While it feels like we have not been to the museum for a decade, it turns out Madame Blogmeister and I last visited Niles on February 9, 2020. In the following 2018 YouTube video tour of the Historic Niles District, this blogger's much-missed now non-operational a.k.a. DEAD car can be seen parked in front of the museum (it's the silver sedan). Very much hope to return to enjoy a night (or two, or three) at the movies in the Edison Theater when it re-opens!
One can donate online by clicking here or go old school via snail mail and send a check to Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, 37417 Niles Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94536.
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