Main Street Gettysburg, along with our partners at Seminary Ridge Museum and United Lutheran Seminary, is beyond excited to help host the screenings of “A Gettysburg Christmas” movie during our annual Christmas Festival on December 1-3, 2023.
The movie, made earlier this year in Gettysburg and Adams County, brought great excitement, anticipation, and joy to our community. Everyone extended the life of their holiday decorations into February to accommodate the filming schedule; businesses cooperated to host scenes in their spaces; and locals showed up in mass to serve as extras on the set.
The original plan was probably for the movie to hit theatres this season, but due to scheduling and licensing issues well beyond my purview, it couldn’t apparently happen that way.
So instead of making us wait, Director Bo Brinkman gifted this movie to our Christmas Festival this year. He didn’t want to disappoint our supportive community, so he worked with community organizations – Main Street Gettysburg, Seminary Ridge Museum, and United Lutheran Seminary – to create this special limited opportunity.
Yes, it’s limited at this time. It’s a bummer that many were unable to secure seats in the first and second rounds of the online offering… it was kinda like days-of-old, calling into a radio station only to get a busy signal, but instead getting a “sold out” message. Such great demand is a huge compliment to the movie and speaks volumes about local support!
Don’t worry: Other opportunities to see the film still lie ahead. Watch for announcements about theatre releases and streaming options in the future.
This year, the Christmas Festival is celebrating this heartwarming project with our community. We are thrilled to share the Director’s gift with the 1,000+ free ticketholders, who will hopefully help launch this into a local tradition.
If you were lucky enough to snag seats, please be generous to the hosts – please consider making a donation to help cover the costs of staffing, facilities, and tech support.
If you didn’t get in, please join us at the Christmas Festival for an amazing celebration that will showcase why our town made such an incredible backdrop for a Christmas movie. After all, the Christmas Festival is in the movie!
Our thanks to Bo Brinkman for sharing the spirit of Christmas with this spectacular project! We look forward to seeing you in Gettysburg for Christmas!
Please contact me anytime. (717) 337-3491 or jsellers@mainstreetgettysburg.org.
Jill Sellers is President and Chief Executive Officer of Main Street Gettysburg. She lives in Adams County with her husband Shane, and their two sons, Joshua (18) and Caleb (15).