Each month, about 200 people show up to downtown Salem’s Elsinore Theatre for a beloved event that has no advertising.“Thank you for having us,” one woman said, approaching a pair of smiling volunteers in the lobby. She was holding a complimentary soda in one hand, and a popcorn in the other. “I’ve never been here before.” The volunteers shared in her excitement, and welcomed her to choose a seat. It was 10 minutes to showtime. On Tuesday, the Elsinore’s lobby filled with the smell of popcorn and excited conversations as adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers came from all over Salem and beyond for a free movie, and a place to build community.Each season, the attendees vote on the movies to watch using a ballot box in the lobby. November’s pick was “The Incredibles,” a Pixar animated film about a family with superpowers who are required by law to hide them.Some audience members, like Landen Urban, were encouraged to attend by community groups that they participate in. Urban came from Mill City for Tuesday’s show, about a 40-minute drive, and sat with other friends from the Silverton Mainstay community space. Urban said he hadn’t seen “The Incredibles” yet, to the shock of his friend beside him who watches the movie weekly. Urban has come to The Elsinore several times before for its movie days.  “I like to visit with friends,” he said.Sally Litchfield, the theater’s development director, started Monthly Movie Fun in the summer of 2022 to fill a community need she’d experienced personally.Her son, now 25, is autistic and has developmental disabilities. When he turned 21, he aged out of all school and transition programs, Litchfield said. “And then it’s kind of up to their families to figure out what their day looks like, and to try to keep their world as big as possible,” she said. “It can be very overwhelming.” Litchfield wanted a way for her son to see his friends regularly, and she knew monthly movies at the Elsinore could be a social opportunity that others in the community could benefit from.  When the shows started two years ago, there were about 30 attendees. It’s since grown to about 200, all from word of mouth and communication from community programs. The free event is not for the general public, though families and friends can join at $5 a person. Since it’s just for the intellectual and developmental disability community, Litchfield had been hesitant to share the existence of the event widely, hence the lack of advertising. She also doesn’t want it to become twisted into “inspiration porn,” where the normal day-to-day lives of people with disabilities becomes objectifying inspirational content for non-disabled people.“There’s a lot of people in our community that need a lot of support with their day-to-day living. And I think people kind of forget that,” she said. For many, the movies are a way to keep in touch with friends from high school or activities like the Special Olympics. “I feel like it’s a good thing to do and it’s filling a need, and that’s why we do it,” Litchfield said.Selections have included “Homeward Bound,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” At this year’s Halloween showing of “Scooby-Doo,” everyone got candy.Litchfield is looking forward to next month’s Christmas movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” because people tend to dress up for the holidays.The screenings require community support to cover costs. They have been funded by ten community sponsors over the years, including the Marion County Cultural Development Corp Grant, Oregon Oncology Associates and a Cultural and Tourism grant from the city of Salem.  About a dozen volunteers, led by Mike Sim, keep the event going. Sim volunteers at almost every Elsinore show, and said this is the tidiest group to clean up after. There are also fewer rules at the Monthly Movie Fun shows: the attendees are welcome to bring bags and baby dolls in.There are also accommodations like closed captions, and a collection of mobility devices parked in the lobby. At some events, they pause the movie ahead of something that may be disturbing or scary to give people a chance to wait in the lobby until the scene’s over, Sim said. Several volunteers said they enjoyed seeing the same faces every month. Most attendees were greeted at the door with a “welcome back.” “It’s my favorite Elsinore thing to work,” said regular volunteer Nancy Thompson from behind the ticket stand. She makes an effort to attend every Monthly Movie Fun show. She said she especially enjoys seeing the skilled caregivers at work. Another volunteer, Paul, who declined to share his last name but said he could be referred to as “grumpy old guy,” said his favorite part of the event was seeing the crowd’s faces light up at the movie.“This is one of the few places where I lose my grumpies,” he said. He was one of several beaming volunteers pointing the incoming crowd to the concession counter.Behind the counter, volunteer Gayle Rastorfer waited to ask the audience what sodas they preferred, and whether they wanted chips or a small or large popcorn. “It is really a joy to interact with clients and caregivers. It’s been a learning experience,” Rastorfer said. She recently learned the name of a regular’s doll so she could greet it, too. A sizable portion of the audience come from community groups, including B2 Community Care which has day support in Polk and Yamhill Counties. Lisa Gerlits, program director at Silverton Mainstay, encouraged about 30 people to come Tuesday. The organization works like a clubhouse, encouraging friendships and community for adults with disabilities. She said she enjoys Monthly Movie Fun more than the typical theater experience.“We love watching movies in this environment, it’s so fun to hear all of the noises people make, there’s clapping, there’s laughing, there’s ‘ew gross’ when something happens,” she said. “It’s also a reliable outing for us. We can rely on it once a month.” The Elsinore events are a place to make friends, she said, or just to sit with others in their community. Even those who haven’t met before are quick to give a friendly smile and wave. “This population is open in a way that many people aren’t,” she said. All chatter stopped at showtime, when the lights dimmed and the brassy score of “The Incredibles” began. So far in three seasons, Monthly Movie Fun has yet to play a sequel. Litchfield has a feeling that will change next season. The movies are exclusive to the disabled adult community, who can access tickets through case managers. The Elsinore works with Marion County’s developmental disabilities program, Polk County services, Resource Connections of Oregon and Integrated Services Network.Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. 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