Friends of Vicksburg group presents Granite Rapids Moon followed by director's Q&A

Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park to present family-friendly film set in 
the Grand Canyon. 
 
The Friends of  Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign is partnering with 
Granite Rapids Moon, LLC; and the Strand Theatre to present the  family-friendly film 
"Granite Rapids Moon," which was shot by a crew carrying gear across 82 miles of Grand 
Canyon trails, with National Park Service oversight. The film is the first narrative feature 
ever to shoot the majority of its footage inside the Grand Canyon. 
 
Proceeds from the screening at the Strand will benefit The Friends of Vicksburg. 
 
In the film, a happily married father of two, shaken by a message written in a birthday 
card for his daughter, abruptly leaves his family for a week-long trek through the Grand 
Canyon. As we follow his solo hike, we see his memories of an earlier trip through the 
Grand Canyon with a different woman. The film’s trailer may be viewed at 
GraniteRapidsMoon.com. 
 
Shot with only the equipment that a cast and crew of eight could carry on two 41-mile 
hikes (one in 20-degree December and one in 95-degree June), The family-friendly 
romantic drama contains no nudity, sex, guns, violence, drugs, or strong profanity. 
Written and directed by Kenneth Cran, the film stars Brit Morgan (True Blood, Riverdale, 
Supergirl), John Charles Meyer (Mom, Vampire Diaries), Susan Papa, Etienne Eckert, 
Micah Cohen, KylieRae Condon, and Missi Pyle (Gone Girl, Galaxy Quest, Captain 
Fantastic). 
 
Writer/director Cran says, “With Granite Rapids Moon, I hope some of the people who 
just make it to the rim and take a photo will see that the Grand Canyon is much more than 
a photo op; it's a place of epic sublimity that has changed and shaped people and their 
stories.” After the film, Cran will participate in a Zoom Q&A. “It’s always fun for our 
audience when they are able to “meet” the director and ask questions about the film they 
just saw,” according to Daniel Boone, film programmer for the Strand. 
 
Ten percent of the film’s profits will be donated to Grand Canyon Conservancy, Leave 
No Trace, and Plastic Free Restaurants; additionally, a portion of ticket sales at specific 
events will also benefit non-profits local to the area. Boone recommended the Friends of 
Vicksburg to the filmmakers as an appropriate partner, “because of the Park Service 
connection.” 
 
Bess Averett, Executive Director of the The Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park 
and Campaign, will be at the Strand to introduce the film and explain the mission of her 
organization, which is a 501 (c) (3) that works to protect Vicksburg’s historic landscape 
by saving battlefield land from commercial development and ensuring its availability for 
education and interpretation. They connect students, families, and lifelong learners to the 
history of Vicksburg. From immersive “soldier for a day” tours to expanded Junior 
Ranger and Ranger-in-Training programs, they spark curiosity and build future stewards. 
The Friends restore the battlefield’s historic character and interpretive resources.  
 
About the film, Bess said, “In this anniversary year for our nation, there is no better time 
to celebrate America's best idea — the National Park System. This film showcases the 
awe-inspiring Grand Canyon, one of our country's most beloved national parks, and 
invites viewers to connect, as with all National Parks, with the landscapes, stories, and 
shared heritage that define the American experience. We hope you will join us.” 
 
The film will be shown on Saturday, July 11 at 7 PM. Advance tickets will be $9 at 
Highway 61 Coffeehouse and online at https://www.simpletix.com/e/friends-of-vicksburg-presents-granite-rapi-tickets-281008

Tickets will be $10 at the door. 

 Popcorn is free...

The Strand Theatre is located at 717 Clay Street in downtown Vicksburg. 

Silverado

Silverado

 

 

 

Saturday, June 20 

at 7 PM

 

Paul Bennett is sponsoring Lawrence Kasdan's 1985 western starring: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Rosanna Arquette, John Cleese, and Linda Hunt.

Roger Ebert wrote: 

 

“Silverado” is the work of Lawrence Kasdan, the man who wrote “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and it has some of the same reckless brilliance about it. It’s the story of four cowboys who join up together, ride into town, refuse to knuckle under to the corrupt sheriff and end up fighting for justice. This is a story, you will agree, that has been told before. What distinguishes Kasdan’s telling of it is the style and energy he brings to the project. 

 

I will not tell you too much of what happens next, but then perhaps I do not need to. If you are familiar with the Western, you will be familiar with this one. What may seem a little strange is that, if there is any nostalgia connected to this film, it will be found in our hearts and not in the characters on the screen."

 

Tickets are available at Highway 61 Coffeehouse for $9 and at the door for $10.

 

The popcorn will be free!!!

Free Medgar Evers Documentary

 

Join us on  

Saturday, May 16, at 5:30 p.m. 

for a screening of  

Everlasting: The Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers 

 

at The Strand Theatre in Vicksburg. This free public screening will be followed by a panel discussion on Evers' legacy featuring Reena Evers-Everette and Taiwo Gaynor, moderated by Lauchlin Fields.

 

Presented in partnership with MPB - Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, and Mississippi Humanities Council, this powerful documentary honors the life, work, and lasting impact of one of Mississippi’s most courageous voices. Through interviews with Evers’ family, colleagues, and historians, the film offers a moving and personal look at his legacy as a husband, father, and civil rights leader.

 

Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect, learn, and engage in an important conversation about history and its impact today.

 

Learn more and view additional screenings: https://www.mshumanities.org/program/screenings

Other Desert Cities onstage at the Strand

 

Other Desert Cities returns to the stage of the Strand Theatre...

 

Family secrets. Political tension in the family. 

 

Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas with her parents, her brother and her aunt. She arrives bearing the manuscript of a memoir which reveals a devastating episode in the life of her wealthy Republican family. Brooke announces that she is about to publish the book, dredging up a pivotal and tragic event in the family’s history – a wound they don’t want reopened.

 

Performances:

 

Friday, April 17 at 7:30

Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 

Sunday, April 19 at 4:00 

Friday, April 24 at 7:30 

Saturday, April 25 at 7:30 

Sunday, April 26 at 4:00

Tickets are $10 in advance at Highway 61 Coffeehouse and online at Simple Tix (service added) or $15 at the door.

Free screening of Natchez, a new documentary

 

“The past is never dead. It's not even past. All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born, webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence, of history and eternity.” - William Faulkner Join us at the Strand Theatre in Vicksburg on April 11 at 7:00 p.m. for a special free screening of the award-winning documentary “Natchez.” In partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, we are proud to bring this acclaimed film to Vicksburg. Directed by Suzannah Herbert and produced by Darcy McKinnon, “Natchez” has earned national recognition on the festival circuit, drawing strong reviews for its bold, thought-provoking look at how history is remembered and presented. Both compelling and at times darkly humorous, the film explores the layered reality behind a Mississippi town known for its antebellum tourism—and the deeper truths that continue to shape it today. According to RogerEbert.com: "The question of how we see our history and who gets to decide is powerfully presented, with respect and insight, in the documentary “Natchez.” It is about the personal, cultural, and commercial pressures in a small Mississippi town where the economy depends on a sanitized version of the era of wealthy plantation owners who used enslaved people to pick cotton, a version that is increasingly more difficult to maintain as residents and paying visitors want a more honest story."   Here's a great article about the film:   Now showing in Vicksburg, this powerful documentary is sparking important conversations across the country. Following the screening, stay for a panel discussion featuring the filmmakers, local scholars, community voices, and individuals from the film. Come be part of this meaningful evening of film and conversation at the historic Strand Theatre. Free Saturday, April 11 7 PM

Where? The Strand Theatre 717 Clay Street Downtown Vicksburg

Vagina Monologues returns to the Strand

 

You will be enlightened, educated, and entertained when 3 brave women bring to the stage of the Strand Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues   An Obie Award-winning whirlwind tour of a forbidden zone, THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES introduces a wildly divergent gathering of female voices, including a six-year-old girl, a septuagenarian New Yorker, a vagina workshop participant, a woman who witnesses the birth of her granddaughter, a Bosnian survivor of rape, and a feminist happy to have found a man who "liked to look at it." Friday, March 6 at 7:30 PM Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 PM Sunday, March 8 at 4 PM Tickets are $10 in advance at Highway 61 Coffeehouse and online at https://www.simpletix.com/e/vagina-monologues-tickets-262056 and $15 at the door.

Where? The Strand Theatre 717 Clay Street Downtown Vicksburg

The Fifth Element

 

The Fifth Element

Saturday, February 21 at 7 PM

 

Ian Knight is sponsoring this week's movie: Luc Besson's The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman.

A 23rd-century New York City cabbie encounters a genetically engineered alien named Leeloo, who has the life force that can unite the planet's elements and stave off a raging fireball that's on a collision course with Earth.

 "Me fifth element - supreme being. Me protect you,"

"Anybody else wanna negotiate?"

"Yeah, we call it human nature."

"Negative. I am a meat popsicle

"The first one was from my wife, telling me she was leaving. The second was from my lawyer, telling me he was leaving with my wife."

"Weddings are one floor down, my son. Congratulations."

 "Of all the members of your unit, you're the only one left alive."


Tickets are available for $9 in advance at Highway 61 Coffeehouse and $10 at the door.

And the world famous popcorn is free!

 

 

This Is Spinal Tap

Saturday, February 7 at 7 PM

Strand Theatre 

Actor and Director Rob Reiner passed away a few weeks ago, and Bill Justice wanted to sponsor one of Reiner's many great films. We chose his first as a director: This Is Spinal Tap.

Reiner appears in the film along with Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest as the most unforgettable rock legends who never existed.



Hilarious, but all too accurate, at the same time.

"These go to eleven." — Nigel Tufnel

"It's such a fine line between stupid, and uh… clever." — Nigel Tufnel

"Well, I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I weren't under such heavy sedation." — David St. Hubbins 

. 

"We're very lucky, in a sense, that we have two visionaries in the band... It's like fire and ice, basically... I feel my role in the band is to be kind of in the middle of that, kind of like lukewarm water." — Derek Smalls. 

"Well, this piece is called 'Lick My Love Pump.'" — Nigel Tufnel. 

"Doormen? No, not really. They just... they let us in." — David St. Hubbins. 

"Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year. It's just not really widely reported." — Ian Faith. 

"The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand." — Song lyric from 'Big Bottom' in This Is Spinal Tap 

 

"We've got armadillos in our trousers. It's really quite frightening." — Nigel Tufnel

Tickets are available at Highway 61 Coffeehouse in advance for $9. They will be $10 at the door...

Look, when it's cold outside, it will likely be pretty cold in the Strand. Dress accordingly.

Free popcorn!!!