(This fundraiser has ended)
The Lounge loves movies! Take a look around the shop, or the blog, and this is easy to see. You'll find this love reflected in many, many designs in the shop. If you have ever visited the blog during one of the big giveaway events you have seen the movie marathons. And for quite a few years here on the blog I enjoyed bringing Fear Friday movie reviews to you (look for a new replacement for this feature later this month). So when my favorite local vintage movie theater held a Kickstarter event this summer it seemed like the obvious choice.
Over the years the theater has changed hands and gone through a few phases. The last try was an all Bollywood movie theater. This was very short lived and the Joy Cinema found itself sitting dark and empty. It was sad to see it teetering on the verge on the unknown. This world likes things fast, new and shiny and the Joy Cinema could have easily slipped away into only our memories.
I had thought for sometime that the Joy Cinema would do very well as a pub theater. We have quite a few in Portland but not much out here in the suburbs. Then one day online I saw that someone else had the same thought. The Joy Cinema was dark no more and had been lighted once again as just that, a little theater pub. On Friday June 22nd, 2012 the Joy Cinema, under the ownership of Jeff Martin, welcomed crowds again with the classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! That's right. Not only was the Joy Cinema going to show popular second run films it was also going to cater to those of us with a love of less than stellar films.
Among the second run features like the Hunger Games, The Avengers and Mad Max IV classic film fans will find titles like Alien, Jaws, Big Trouble in Little China and the Goonies. But the real gem of this theater shines for those of us that like a little "bad" with our film. Weird Wednesdays happen every Wednesday night around 9:00pm. One exceptionally bad B movie. No charge. That's right a free movie. Just sit back with a slice of pizza, a cold beer and enjoy some wonderfully bad movie making.
The Joy Cinema has even been decked out with a state of the art digital projector and 3D. As you can imagine this is no small cost. At around $50,000 to make that upgrade many small theaters, including drive-ins, have been forced to close. With the digital age upon us there is no choice but to upgrade or loose the option to show new movies. Unfortunately no new movies means the end of many small theaters. The Joy Cinema began to feel the weight of the upgrade costs plus an ever rising rent cost. So this last summer they ran a Kickstarter fundraiser to help with that weight. Laughing Vixen Lounge wants to help make sure the Joy Cinema stays around for years to come.
$1 from every sale at Laughing Vixen Lounge will go to help support the Joy Cinema. The goal is $1,000. You can check in here to see the total raised so far. You can also visit the Joy Cinema's website HERE. Then make sure to stop by Laughing Vixen Lounge and see if there is something you just can not live without. You'll get a little something for yourself and help bring movie memories to generations to come.
To all of those who have helped us so far with a purchase.. A BIG thank you from Laughing Vixen Lounge and the Joy Cinema!!! We appreciate it so very much and you just earned yourself some awesome karma.
Fundraising Goal ~ $1,000
Started October 15, 2015
Goal Met October 31, 2017
Weird Wednesday at The Joy
Laughing Vixen Lounge will be proudly sponsoring a few Weird Wednesday films. Keep an eye out for more to come.Weird Wednesday, 10-21-2015 "The Mad Magician" in 3D - 1954 with Vincent Price.
The Mad Magician - This is one I had not seen but with Vincent Price as the lead how could you go wrong?! It was a fun black & white romped through 1950's horror. Definitely recommend if you like retro horror. And in 3-D... Woohoo!!!
Weird Wednesday, 09-28-2016 "The Sting of Death" - 1965
Weird Wednesday, 12-2016 "Don't Open Till Christmas" - 1984
Weird Wednesday, 02-28-2018 "Final Terror" - 1983
Past Fundraisers
Take a moment to look at the last fundraising project for WildCat Haven and the 5 sponsored wildcats, DJ, Cha~Cha, Carrie, Kujo and Tasha. The shop raised $2,500 over a two year period to help these beautiful cats have a safe and happy home.
~ WildCat Haven ~
WildCat Haven is a non-profit, no-kill, "last hope" sanctuary for neglected, abused and abandoned captive born wildcats which is just down the road from the shop. This private sanctuary, located in Sherwood, OR, is home to over 60 wildcats and hybrids. One visit to their website is all it will take to fall in love with these sweet and fuzzy faces. Visit their site here.
From November 2013 to September 2015 Laughing Vixen Lounge donated $1 from each item sold and $3 from each Hep Cat Design sold to WildCat Haven. During that time a total of $2,500 was raised which sponsored 5 wildcats at the sanctuary. It takes $500 to sponsor one animal for a year. See all of the adorable cats below.
~ DJ the Cougar ~
Fundraising Goal ~ $500
Started November 1, 2013
Goal Met February 23, 2014
~ Read DJ's Rescue Story ~
Ask any school kid what kind of animals are found in barns, and odds are, they'll rattle off a list of old standards like cows, pigs and horses. The odds are also pretty good that they won't include cougars on the list. Which makes the story of DJ and Nada all the more astonishing. The two fully grown cougars are now on their way to a wildlife sanctuary in Oregon, after a Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer found them living in a pole barn in Jones.
Cass County Animal Control Director Patrick Fetherston said the animals belonged to Harold Brown, a Newberg Township resident who has owned them since 1996. But after Michigan DNR officer Jeff Robinette discovered the animals in January, there was no question that they would have to be removed, due to the fact that they were not in compliance with Michigan's Large Carnivore Act.
"Number one, the animals were in violation of the act," Fetherston said. "Number two, what happens if they get out?"
Brown, upon notification of the violation, was open and cooperative with authorities about giving up the cougars. The trouble was, no one knew whom to give them to. Zoos do not generally take privately owned animals as donations.
"We called every zoo in the state," Fetherston said. "It was suggested to us that we check with the American Sanctuary Association, which lists sanctuaries according to what types of animals they deal with."
And that's how Fetherston found Tammy Quist, who heads up The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota. The nonprofit, 10-acre operation relies entirely on public contributions to provide a last-hope, no-kill haven for unwanted or abused wildcats.
Unfortunately, Quist's operation is at full capacity now. But that didn't stop her from going to bat for DJ and Nada. Instead, she offered to arrange for the cougars' pick-up, their spaying and neutering, and then to drive them to Wildcat Haven, another sanctuary in Sherwood, Ore., where the cats can live out the rest of their days in peace.
"People get these animals when they are little, then they don't know what to do with them when they reach adulthood," said Quist, who started her sanctuary after witnessing the mistreatment of a group of wildcats by a photographer. "Unfortunately, most states don't have laws against purchasing these animals and keeping them in pens and cages."
But Michigan does, and DJ and Nada needed a new home. Which is why Fetherston, Quist, and Robinette, accompanied by Dr. David Visser, a veterinarian from the Roseland Animal Clinic, found themselves at Brown's home on Sunday, looking to remove DJ and Nada from the 10- foot-by-10-foot pens they've lived in since 1996 and get them on their way. It was not the easiest of jobs.
"They are very unsocialized animals," Fetherston said. "The owner could get in and pet the female, but he pretty much didn't have anything to do with the male."
A tranquilizer gun was used on Nada with little effect, but she was eventually enticed into a transport cage by disguising it to look like a dark den. DJ was also caged, and the cats were driven to Minnesota, where they were given thorough checkups and underwent spaying and neutering operations.
"They were healthy, although they were both very overweight from all those years of being cooped up in those small pens," Quist said. "But they came through OK, and we will be moving them out to Oregon soon."
There, DJ and Nada should have the time of their lives. Quist said the operators of Wildcat Haven plan to house the big cats in 36-foot-by-64-foot pens, which will include perches for climbing, plenty of room to roam, sunshine, and things the animals have never experienced before, like natural grass. In the meantime, Fetherston, said, he'll be hoping that folks who hear of the cougars' saga will think twice before making the decision to bring any more big cats into Cass County.
***UPDATE*** April 2014 ~ DJ, at the age of 18, passed away. Laughing Vixen Lounge is saddened by this but is glad to have had an opportunity to help DJ in his final month.
The second sponsored cat from Wildcat Haven.
~ Cha~Cha the Serval ~
Fundraising Goal ~ $500
Started February 25, 2014
Goal Met September 5, 2014
~ Read Cha~Cha's Rescue Story ~
Cha-Cha came to WildCat Haven through the Oregon Humane Society. They called asking if we could take a serval that had been surrendered to them at Portland International Airport by a woman who was leaving the country. When the authorities wouldn’t let Cha-Cha on the flight because of false paperwork, she called OHS and signed custody over to them. She said if they couldn’t find him a home that they should euthanize him.
We were more than happy to take him in and save his life. Today, Cha-Cha lives with two other servals, Chirpy and Uche, and these three boys are inseparable!
The third sponsored cat from Wildcat Haven.
~ Carrie the Caracal ~
Fundraising Goal ~ $500
Started September 6, 2014
Goal Met September 21, 2014
~ Read Carrie's Rescue Story ~
Carrie, a caracal, came from Wild
Animal Orphanage in Texas. Due to poor management and dishonest
directors, the facility was shut down. We were contacted to see if we
could make room for their small cats.
The fourth sponsored cat from WildCat Haven.
~ Kujo the Bobcat ~
Fundraising Goal ~ $500
Started September 22, 2014
Goal Met December 20, 2014
~ Read Kujo's Rescue Story ~
Kujo,
a bobcat, came to us from a wildlife rehabilitation center in Kentucky.
Originally, they were going to have him in their education program, but
he proved to be too much of a handful. So, WildCat Haven was contacted
to see if we could provide a lifetime home for this little bobcat.
The fifth sponsored cat from WildCat Haven.
~Tasha the Lynx~
Fundraising Goal ~ $500
Started December 21, 2014
Goal Met October 14, 2015
~ Read Tasha's Rescue Story ~
Tasha,
a Siberian Lynx, came to us when her owners had to move to Texas and
couldn’t take her. She and her mate, Tank, were originally purchased in
Canada at a fur farm. Sadly, fur farms are still legal in both Canada
and the United States.
Tasha
and Tank were devoted to each other and lived at WildCat Haven for
almost four years. As is often the case with cats that come from fur
farms (because of the in-breeding), we lost Tank to heart disease. Tasha
was heartbroken. Unfortunately, she has never warmed up to any of the
other cats, so has had to live alone. She lives in a spacious pen and
does seem to enjoy cardboard boxes and catnip.
UGH! The ignorance of humans that make animals suffer is so sad... I wish a happy, comfortable, life for DJ and Nada in their new home! Thanks for sharing their story! Hopefully it will deter some folks who had thoughts of buying these beautiful cougars!
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