A downtown Orillia venue will host the Canadian premiere of a Charley Pride documentary.
Charley Pride: I’m Just Me will be screened Sept. 28 at the Geneva Event Centre, at 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 each.
Asked how he managed to secure a national premiere, owner Don Porter said it was “a fluke.”
Orillia-based director Wil Dunlop knows the person who has the rights to the documentary and a connection with Porter was made.
“It’s something nice for the community. It’s why I bought this place. We do cool things,” he said.
The Geneva often hosts community groups — upcoming events include Ripple of Kindness, the Orillia and District Arts Council Awards, a 90th-birthday party and Orillia Jazz Festival performances by bands from all three Orillia high schools — but Porter never imagined the venue would be home to a Canadian premiere.
“If I have the opportunity to do something like this again, I will, but this was just a fluke,” he said.
Porter watched the documentary recently and said fans of the country music legend are in for a treat.
“I’m going to have my servers carry Kleenex,” he said with a laugh.
For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page, where a link to the documentary’s trailer can be found.
