The Night of the Magical Popcorn

By C.J. Hirschfield

Fairyland’s final sleepover of the summer season on Aug. 19 was a sell-out. By sunset, 164 happy guests had arrived, set up their tents in our meadow, and prepared for an evening of family fun. Dinner was served, the rides were all operating, and my team was setting up for the 8 p.m. puppet show and 9 p.m. live performance. Our volunteers had rolled out the popcorn machine and were preparing to make popcorn for the shows. All was going well.

And then, the unthinkable: The popcorn machine failed. No popping kernels. No irresistible aroma of freshly popped corn.

Imagine it: You’re responsible for 164 guests who expected to be treated to one of life’s great pleasures – enjoying popcorn during a show. We’d made a promise, and it looked like we wouldn’t be able to keep it.

But this is Fairyland, after all. Magic happens here on a regular basis, and magic is what occurred that night.

First, though, some background.

Our sleepovers couldn’t happen without the efforts of our cadre of regular volunteers, Lela McKenna among them. How much does Lela love Fairyland? Well, she has a Fairyland Magic Key tattooed on her wrist. For years, Lela and another super-volunteer, Robin Santino, helped make our events extra-special. Robin moved away from the East Bay in 2014, but she still gets regular sleepover updates from Lela.

Which is how it came to pass that Lela texted Robin with our predicament: “Help! No popcorn!”

Robin’s prompt response: “Quick, find a movie theater!”

“It was part goof, and part brainstorm,” Robin later told me. She didn’t remember the name of the theater in our neighborhood. But Lela did.

We happen to be within walking distance of a historic movie palace and treasure, the Grand Lake Theatre. Opened in 1926 and lovingly restored since then, the Grand Lake has been voted by East Bay Express readers “Best Place to See a Movie” for many years. It boasts a Mighty Wurlitzer organ and has been designated as one of the top 10 vintage theaters in the nation.

The Grand Lake Theatre's illuminated sign.

So the call went out, and the theater’s night manager Casey answered. He made a decision on the spot. Of course the theater would supply emergency popcorn. No, he wouldn’t accept our money.

The theater donated four huge bags of freshly popped popcorn to our cause.

Fairyland volunteers carrying one of the four donated bags of popcorn.

When the Grand Lake’s donation was announced to our guests, they literally cheered. The thought of two of Oakland’s oldest and most beloved institutions partnering to save the day – well, night – made them very happy. And there was most excellent popcorn!

Community and generosity were demonstrated on several levels that night — by the Grand Lake Theatre’s staff and by our volunteers, including a virtual one whose “genius” idea saved the night. It’s nice to remind ourselves during these contentious times that we have an amazing community that pulls together when the need arises just because it can.

And where was Fairyland’s fearless leader at the exact time all of this was going on? Enjoying a show at the Grand Lake Theatre, munching on a medium bag of popcorn.

_

C.J. Hirschfield has served for 15 years as executive director of Children’s Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation of the nation’s first storybook theme park.