Penn’s Pix for Flix

It's been a crooked piece of time, that's for sure.

I heard that from my father-in-law, but I think he was quoting John Prine or someone along those lines. Regardless, it’s a great turn of phrase that seems to fit the last few months perfectly.

Prior to quarantine, Penn Cinema had closed our doors on just four different occasions over our first 14+ years in business. All for blizzards. Each time, I acted like it was “the worst thing that could ever happen.” In hindsight, that’s pretty amusing. I now live with an entirely different perspective. I guess that's like a lot of things. Anyone who has ever been through anything traumatic knows what I mean, too. You live through something tough and while you're going through it, you think it's the worst thing ever and then suddenly your eyes are opened to a whole new reality. It's jarring to say the least, and yet, these experiences can leave you stronger and equipped with a whole new level of coping skills. Maybe even a level of peace with the universe. Once we realize how very little we have "control" over in our lives, it can be liberating. Quite.

So as I looked out on our empty lobbies during the shutdown, I was sad. I was lonely. And yet, I was profoundly grateful. I remain so. I am grateful for all that this community has done to support Penn Cinema, and for the many opportunities we have had to pay it back when and where we can. But even more so, I'm grateful for the laughs and the hard work we've done over the years. The Team that we've done it with. To say that we laughed would be an understatement. I'm grateful for our Team and for the Community we get to work in. It's good stuff, and no pandemic can take it away. So stick that on your list of things to be grateful for and we'll see you when we see you. Maybe we'll see you at our new Drive In Movie Theater, which we will continue to operate even after things get “back to normal.” Or maybe you'll come see your all-time favorite movie on the big screen for the first time. Or maybe you'll wait for TENET or MULAN, which is cool too. Whatever your plan, we will be happy to see you when that day comes. 

So until then... Take care and Party on!

By Penn Ketchum