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Maiden Alley Gets Grants for Budget, Special Event

Maiden Alley Gets Grants for Budget, Special Event
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By Bill Hughes
Jul. 03, 2020 | PADUCAH
By Bill Hughes Jul. 03, 2020 | 06:02 PM | PADUCAH
Maiden Alley Cinema has received a couple of grants this week. 

Executive Director Rebecca Madding told West Kentucky Star the gifts are $2,700 from the Art House America Campaign and $2,500 from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

In March the Art House America Campaign was set up by the Criterion Connection, and began taking donations for a relief fund to help independent cinemas affected by the pandemic. By April the GoFundMe page had surpassed its $500,000 goal and it's now at $842,000. They have made several disbursements to qualifying theatres, and Madding says its a great help, especially since they were shut down for three months and had no income.

"We are a non-profit, however we have the same bills and expenses as any other business would. We have payroll, we've got health insurance, we've got utilities. These grants really make sure that we can keep up with those bills," Madding said.

Although movie theatres were allowed to open on June 1, Madding said they waited until June 12 to gauge the situation and willingness of their patrons to attend events. 

Maiden Alley has been seating 33 percent capacity in their 114-seat theatre and sold out on their first weekend, when they showed the Steven Spielberg films, "E.T.," "Jaws," and, "Jurassic Park." Since then they have continued to have a pretty good turnout, and are excited to present, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," this weekend (they will be closed on July 4).

Since they re-opened, Madding said they have been, "a little close," on making ends meet, but they have adjusted in some areas. They are encouraging extra-cautious folks who might normally attend movies to donate what they would typically spend if they attended a screening. They have a secure donation page on their website (see link below).

Madding said, "We definitely had to dig deep and go through our reserves a little bit just to make it through. Even with these grants, as a non-profit, you're always thinking about fundraising and you're always trying to stay ahead. We are no different than any other business right now - just trying to not only make ends meet but to make up for what was lost those three months." 

The second donation they received this week will not help with general expenses. It is an Arts Meets Activism grant is designed, "to help create societal change for the advancement of feminism." Madding says Maiden Alley will partner with Sprocket innovation lab, using some of their equipment and the arts to encourage female high school students to advance their STEM skills in fields that relate to the arts. Due to the current pandemic, the date and other details for this event have not yet been announced. Maiden Alley will reach out to area schools to help recruit students. 

Another event at Maiden Alley, the River's Edge Film Festival, was scheduled for August, but Madding said that was still, "a little too soon to have a big group of people from out-of-town come to Paducah." That event is now scheduled for November 12-15, 2020.


On the Net:

Donation page at Maiden Alley Cinema website
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