The community is invited to honor Uncle Tony Cacchio on the second anniversary of his passing.
Uncle Tony Cacchio was the backbone of The Rosendale Theatre and the Collective.
When the theatre first opened its doors in 1949, Uncle Tony was 16. He helped his parents run the theatre. Later, with his nephew Michael he was the co-owner and worked as a projectionist for decades.
When the Rosendale Theatre Collective took over the business in August of 2010 part of the agreement was that Uncle Tony would continue to work as the projectionist. The Rosendale Theatre Collective would not have been able to operate the business were it not for the support and guidance that Uncle Tony always gave.
Uncle Tony shared, “I can’t wait to get here every night because I enjoy the people. And ninety-nine and a half percent of the people are great people. They call me Uncle Tony, you know? And they enjoy coming here. And I enjoy seeing them.”
The event will include a toast to Uncle Tony and the screening of the short documentary
Uncle Tony – My Life as A Projectionist (2012). This is an eleven minute film that tells the story of the old theatre kept alive by a dedicated group of movie and theater lovers in the Hudson Valley town of Rosendale, New York. Then in his eighties, Uncle Tony Cacchio was the last family member still working at the theater started by the Cacchios in 1949. The Rosendale Theater was saved from developers in 2012 by a community collective and is now a vital cultural center for the surrounding area. Shot and edited by Robert Clem and produced by Susan Einhorn.