All The Scoop On Kids Club Storytime At Showcase Cinema De Lux

This week I had the pleasure of meeting with Allison Gemelli, Assistant Marketing Manager at Patriot Place. She’s given us the inside scoop on all the children’s activities happening at Patriot Place and, specifically, the newly formatted Kids Club Storytime at Showcase Cinema De Lux. 

Among the storytime crowd last Tuesday were lots of moms, kids, babies and special guest Winnie the Pooh! It was a delightful event and ended with a free slice of Famiglia Pizza for each child.

Here is more on Storytime from Allison, the storyteller herself. 

Tell us about your role at Patriot Place?

My role with Patriot Place is as the Assistant Marketing Manager for the complex. I have been here for just about a year and a half. You can find me as your storyteller every week! 

How did you come up with the idea to have a Storytime at Patriot Place?

We look at Patriot Place as so much more than a traditional retail mall. We aim to be a destination where there’s always something to do on top of going to shop or grab a bite to eat. Kids Club Storytime was one of the first ongoing events that was thought of as a destination for families that was also something fun and interactive to do during the week.

Storytime just moved to Cinema de Lux, tell us about the new location and format?

Since the beginning of the program, Storytime had been held at CBS Scene which was a great location for us. As the program became more popular, we simply ran out of room. Showcase Cinema de Lux was gracious enough to offer us space there which has been a great fit so far. The format of the program features a different character theme each week. The program begins at 11 a.m. every Tuesday and starts off at the activity station for the children upon arrival and is followed by the reading of a story featuring the character that week. Once the story ends, our character friend comes out to meet all the guests and joins them in the movie theater where the children can interact and take photos with our special guest.

What are you planning for Storytime in the new location?

Something new with this location is that the Storytime attendees get to watch a short movie after the story in an actual theater. We are also planning to add in more interactive elements to the program as we get closer to the Summer.

Typically what kind of crowd are you seeing and what are the moms saying?

Our typical crowd consists of children anywhere from toddler to pre-school age, however, during school vacation weeks we do see kids as old as 7-8 years of age join our group. Stay at home moms and dads make up the majority of the adults, however, the program is becoming more popular among nannies and babysitters as well. The feedback we are getting is how great it is to have something to do during the week that is fun, educational and free!

You are in change of children's activities at Patriot Place, should mom's keep their eyes open for any special events in the future?

We always have something fun to do at Patriot Place! Coming up in the near future is a week full of events for School Vacation week that includes a rainforest reptiles show, special character appearances, ice skating lessons and more! We also have great ongoing programs like Bubble Parties every Friday and our outdoor ice skating rink, Winter Skate presented by Reebok, is open daily throughout the winter. We have a few different sources to know about all the happenings at Patriot Place; our website, www.patriot-place.com, our weekly e-newsletter, Patriot Place Advantage and by following Patriot Place on Facebook and Twitter.

Will you ever hold Storytime in the stadium?

It would be great if we ever needed a space that big to accommodate such a large storytime crowd!!

Check out the list of upcoming Kids Club Storytime themes right here on Patch weekly. Storytime happens every Tuesday at 11 a.m. It’s a great take and free for anyone who attends.