Historian hosts YouTube talk on early movie-going
“Packed to the Doors: The Electric City Goes to the Movies” is the title of the next edition of PHS Talks, to be released on the Hutchison House YouTube channel on Jan. 19.
These online talks, presented by the Peterborough Historical Society (PHS) replace the monthly meeting of the society and their public lectures, which can not be held at this time due to the COVID -19 pandemic. This month’s talk is given by Robert Ganton Clarke.
Clarke is a local movie historian with a special interest in the social context of moviegoing and the many buildings that created a magical atmosphere in which to experience movies. His talk will focus on early movie-going and Peterborough’s theatres.
Growing up in Peterborough, Clarke attended Queen Mary Public School, PCVS and Knox United Church. He remembers, from an early age, going to movie theatres downtown. He pursued a degree in history and English from Queen’s University in Kingston, and a degree in journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa.
He worked for many years in book editing and is currently working on a book with the same name as his PHS Talk. In the spring of 2020, he published an article on a small bit of his research into Peterborough movie-going history in the scholarly journal Ontario History.
Clarke’s research and excerpts from his upcoming book can be found on his website peter boroughmoviehistory.com.
For more information on PHS Talks, or a link to the Hutchison House You Tube channel, please visit peterborough historicalsociety.ca.
Peterborough Snofest
The 44th Annual Snofest, begins on Saturday and runs until Jan. 24. This year, the Snofest committee has created an Online Activity Guide to help us all get outside, get active and stay safe!
Activities include a snow fort and ice sculpture contest, a hot chocolate party with your household, a do-it-yourself bird feeder, a colouring contest for kids, outdoor exercise adventures and more.
Participants are invited to share their photos on Facebook using @ptbosnofest and #PtboSnofest2021 for a chance to win prizes. For more information, please visit peterborough.ca/Snofest.