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A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of meeting with a number of citizens in Angola, NY. The mayor, Hub Frawley, and Brant Town Supervisor, Lenny Pero, were instrumental in setting up this meeting in the New Angola Theater.

If you’re ever in Angola I would recommend catching a movie at this theater. It is a throwback to the days of early movies and vaudeville acts. It was reopened in 2002 thanks to efforts of the Claddagh Commission and is restored to its original ornate style with a balcony for adults only. Sitting there takes you back in time when electronics were a lot simpler and films were in black and white, sometimes without sound.

We screened the National Geographic, Electronic Armageddon, and after some further presentations about EMP, EMPact America and legislative situations we served up samples of dehydrated food from Breedlove Foods.

It was interesting to learn that a number of folks in this area had installed alternate energy solar systems in their homes and they were very seriously concerned about the problems that an EMP can cause. A number of these folks were Emergency Responders so I guess their understanding and concern should have come as no surprise.

Considering the nostalgia that this historical building invokes, I thought it was rather amazing to see the number of “modern” items that had invaded its space for our presentation. Folks would occasionally check cell phones, we had a computer and projector cranking out the details of the presentation, the lights and heat were on, water and sewage were available and we even cooked up the “disaster food” with an electric hot plate (the mayor would not allow an open fire in the theater). If we had to pull this off I a Grid down situation we would have had real problems. And it is likely our audience would have quickly disappeared if Ross and I, in the tradition of “the show must go on” had to perform a Vaudeville dance illuminated with lanterns and stage candles with reflectors.