(2/2017) Do January and February feel unusually long? Winter, from my and many others’ perspectives, feels like the longest season of the four. I attribute this to feelings of boredom that we may experience during these months. Many of the activities and gatherings we normally hold outdoors would be uncomfortable during the month of February, making the whole month feel rather prolonged. Deyth Banger’s The Life of One Kid sums up the sentiment rather well, where it says, "I find it interesting that time passes slowly when you’re bored, yet when you’re interested time passes fast." What can we do to counteract the boredom we may feel this month? How about visiting Thurmont!

I have spoken about Thurmont multiple times in the past; when covering the Thurmont Thespians, art shops present on Main Street, and most recently for their annual Christmas festivities. This month, the town of Thurmont is looking to relieve the boredom we may be experiencing, and has announced their art activities schedule for the months ahead. If you are interested in trying new things this year, and are searching for ways to channel this goal through the arts, then look no further than Thurmont!

In the month of February, the Thurmont Main Street center has announced two movie showings, both free and open to the public. These will take place on the second and fourth Saturday of the month of February. They will showcase two films that are both excellent and inviting in their own ways.

The first film is Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, starring Tom Hanks as the lead role Chesley Sullenberger, Aaron Eckhart performing as Jeff Skiles, Valerie Mahaffey as Diane Higgins and Anna Gunn as Elizabeth Davis. This film centers on the story of US Airways Flight 1549, which crashed less than three minutes after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport on January 15, 2009.

After the lead pilot of the aircraft, played by Tom Hanks, struck a flock of Canadian geese after passing the George Washington Bridge, himself and his copilot needed to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River after the plane lost all engine power. A prompt investigation followed the successful crash landing in the Hudson, and the film centers on the all of these elements. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot, is famous for saying, "I have delivered a million passengers over the last 40 years, but in the end, I’m going to be judged on 208 seconds." The film has received numerous accolades, being selected by American Film Institute and the National Board of Review as being among the top ten best films of the past year. It was produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, and is rated PG-13 for showing a traumatic situation and brief strong language.

The second film, being shown at the end of the month, is The Secret Life of Pets. It is a 3D animated comedy film, which displays, as its title suggests, the secret lives of pets. It centers on the fact that, when the owners go away to work, their pets have separate lives of which the owners are completely unaware, speaking and spending time with pets from other apartments and homes and having their own adventures. This film was directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney, and stars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet of the TV sitcom Modern Family, and Kevin Hart as some of the lead roles.

This is a very light-hearted movie that is entertaining for both parents and children alike. There are a number of different pets in the film, including rabbits, birds, dogs, cats, and gerbils. Different breeds of dogs and cats are present as well, making it a particularly fun story if you consider yourself to be a dog or cat person, with plenty of jokes and funny moments throughout!

Paul Echard, who organized the Main Street Matinee for the films being displayed this month, said he chose the films because they are good movies for all to see. I have seen both of these, and completely agree. The best part about the matinee is that they are both free, open to the public, and free popcorn will be available as well! The first of the two films, Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, will be shown on Saturday, February 10 at 2 p.m., and should wrap up by 4 p.m. The Secret Life of Pets will be shown on Saturday, February 24 starting at 2 p.m. and ending around 4 p.m. Both films will be shown at the Thurmont Main Street Center, located at 11 Water Street in Thurmont.

There are other upcoming events in Thurmont that are worth your notice as well! First, there is the live model drawing that will take place at the Thurmont Main Street Center. This event will be sponsored by John Nickerson, who owns Gnarly Arty in Thurmont. There is a misconception about figure drawing, where it is assumed that the models are naked and those who draw have gifted artistic abilities. This isn’t true! In fact, there are plenty of figure drawings featuring fully-clothed models, many of whom are dressed in funny outfits.

This will be the case at the Thurmont Main Street Center. Figure drawing is not always an activity reserved for those in artistic circles. It can very much be an activity meant for all ages and all skill levels! Mr. Nickerson mentioned to me that many of the models used in these drawings wear fun outfits that will be very entertaining to draw. This event, hosted by Thurmont, is intended to draw as many people as possible to try their hand at something they may have never attempted before!

Check the Thurmont Main Street Center’s website and Facebook for extra details! The first date for the drawing will be Wednesday, April 5th from 6 to 9 pm. This will be a recurring event, and if you’d like to participate, please bring your materials! This includes paper, or your sketchbook and easel, and pencils, pastels, charcoal, or whatever else you’d like to bring! The event is open to all, and entry fees (to pay the model) are expected to be around $10 a person. This will be available every first Wednesday of the month, so be sure to check in!

Something sooner, on top of these other events, is the Digital Photography Sessions hosted by Russ and Cindy Poole. Russ and Cindy Poole are excellent photographers, and their affinity and love of nature is evident in their work. They will be hosting a series of photography seminars, where they will be teaching basic elements of photography and try out what they learned.

This is scheduled for the mid-spring, where Russ says, "Since there will be a lot of new flowers, young animals, warmer weather etc., folks will be better able to try out what they learn after attending." If you are interested in attending this free seminar, it will be offered on Monday, March 20th from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

I hope this helped expose you to some artistic activities that could challenge you this new year, and maybe even relieve some boredom in the meantime! There are other events that the Thurmont Main Street Center is organizing, including Game Nights on Friday, February 10th from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and Friday, March 10th from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Tune in to the Thurmont Main Street website and Facebook for additional details!