ALBANY, N.Y. — The Palace Theatre’s Summer in the City Free Movie Series (SITC), co-presented by SEFCU and Albany Med, came to a close on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. This year’s series ended on a high note with our annual season ending Ice Cream Social bringing out over 1,500 people for a screening of the Disney hit Moana. SEFCU and Albany Med were on site distributing backpacks, sunglasses and lunchboxes for the kids and representatives from Stewart’s Shops handed out Ice Cream to all those who attended. A face painter, balloon artist and crafts rounded out a great afternoon of family friendly fun.
This summer, the local community came out in record numbers. The 2018 series served over 8,000 children and families with free movies over the course of two months and all those who attended were treated to more than just an afternoon at the cinema. The Palace Theatre and our sponsors are committed to making each of these events unique and special. At each movie all kids 12 and under in attendance received free popcorn. Albany Med led audiences through informative on-stage fitness activities and CPR demonstrations at several movies and representatives from Whitney M. Young Health Center and SEFCU provided educational activities and projects for each child to learn about nutrition, dental health and financial wellness.
Summer in the City is one of several free and low-cost arts and educational programs that the Palace presents throughout the year for children and families. In 2017/18 alone, these programs reached more than 30,000 people. The SITC movie series provides children with the opportunity to enjoy the excitement and beauty of the historic Palace Theatre, while offering fun, safe and positive opportunities to become engaged in the arts.
These free movies and all of the great activities and giveaways would not be possible without the support of presenting sponsors SEFCU and Albany Medical Center as well as event sponsors Price Chopper Supermarkets / Market 32, National Grid, Stewart's Shops, Fenimore Asset Management, Whitney M. Young Health Center and Pepsi along with all of the Staff and Volunteers from various organizations that commit their time during the summer.
“We would like to thank Albany Med and SEFCU for supporting the Palace and our free community arts initiatives such as ‘Summer in the City’. It’s so inspiring to see the thousands of children who are exposed to the arts and to this historic venue each year. We are very grateful to our sponsors who share our commitment to this community. Thanks to their generous support we are able to offer this and so many other free programs that truly make a difference in kids’ lives.” – Susan Rosko Fogarty, Executive Director – Palace Performing Arts Center
“Movies are magical. They transport us to different places and times and show us things we would never find here in Albany, New York. The wonder of movies, and the arts in general, is the sense that we can do or be anything, with enough hard work and passion. Now, that’s a lesson I want all children to learn and that’s why SEFCU is once again a proud supporter of the Summer in the City series,” said Michael J. Castellana, SEFCU president and CEO.
“Albany Med is especially pleased to support the Palace’s Summer in the City series because it offers children a safe weekly break that is full of fun, introduces them to the arts, fuels their creativity, spurs their imagination and, very importantly, encourages them to learn.,” said James J. Barba, Albany Med President and CEO.
About The Palace Theatre
The Palace has been Albany’s iconic downtown landmark for the past eight decades, bringing the biggest names in entertainment to the Capital Region. The history and programming of the Palace is a unique and often untold story with roots dating back to the period of the Great Depression. The Palace Theatre, built in 1931, originally presented vaudeville acts, feature films and became a civic auditorium before closing its doors in 1969. The theatre maintains its original beauty and design and is a historical landmark in the City of Albany. The Palace Performing Arts Center was established in 1984 and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1989, created to operate the Palace Theatre. The mission of the Palace is to bring world-class arts and entertainment to New York’s Capital Region, greatly enhancing the area's cultural and economic development. Our mission is carried out through core programming and community initiatives that include performing arts entertainment, free arts education, family-friendly performances, free summer movies and a classic movie program series. The Palace has a significant economic footprint with over $3.5 million in ticket sales and 180,000 patrons.
About Albany Medical Center
Albany Medical Center, northeastern New York’s only academic health sciences center, is one of the largest private employers in the Capital Region. It incorporates the 734-bed Albany Medical Center Hospital, which offers the widest range of medical and surgical services in the region, and the Albany Medical College, which trains the next generation of doctors, scientists and other health care professionals, and also includes a biomedical research enterprise and the region’s largest physicians practice with more than 450 doctors. Albany Medical Center works with dozens of community partners to improve the region’s health and quality of life. For more information: www.amc.edu or www.facebook.com/albanymedicalcenter.
About SEFCU:
Established in 1934, today SEFCU is among the 50 largest credit unions in the U.S. with more than $3 billion in assets, more than 330,000 members, and 47 branches in the Capital Region, Binghamton, Syracuse, and Buffalo. In addition to full service retail and commercial banking products and services, SEFCU is committed to supporting the community through the donation of time and talent of its staff and members, as well as monetary contributions to help people and make an impact in the communities it serves. Find us on Facebook® and follow us on Twitter®.