Residents of Hamilton, N.Y., escaped the blizzard this weekend to enjoy a free showing of “The Lorax” at the Hamilton Movie Theater, located at 7 Lebanon St. The event kicked off this year’s annual Seuss Saturday celebration. The movie rendition of the beloved Dr. Seuss’ book was great entertainment to the children of the community and an ode to Seuss’ continued legacy. 

The event was sponsored by the Colgate Bookstore in collaboration with the Palace Theater, Community Memorial Hospital and Hamilton Movie Theater. This past Saturday marks the eleventh consecutive year of the event, which is hosted around Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2.

Lauren Marshall, who is in charge of marketing for the Colgate Bookstore, commented on the event’s continued popularity and the boost it provides for businesses in the Village of Hamilton. 

“It’s one of the most popular events that the bookstore hosts,” Miller said. “A lot of out-of-town residents from Syracuse and Oneida come down with their families, do the activities with their kids and grab a meal at the local restaurants […]. Sometimes restaurants will also do Seuss themed appetizers.”

In previous years, Seuss Saturday has taken on various themes, such as turtle conservation with inspiration from the Seuss novel “Yertle the Turtle.” The Hamilton Public Library and Palace Theater had turtle-themed crafts and talked about sea turtle conservation efforts. This year, a Seuss story time accompanied by arts and crafts was scheduled at the Hamilton Public Library, followed by a live Seuss-ical sing-a-long at the Palace Theater and then a screening of “The Lorax” at the Hamilton Movie Theater. Unfortunately, the first two events were canceled due to the inclement weather. However, that did not stop the movie screening from being a popular event.

Senior Bethany Neufeld enjoyed the snow day screening.

“It was super packed when we walked in. [It’s] awesome to see the community of Hamilton gather and be able to have events, especially on a fun snow day,” Neufeld said. “An indoor movie was a good activity for a snow day.”

Senior Lis Hartke pointed out the novelty of screening the movie in the Hamilton Theater for the children in the community. 

“It’s nice that they’re able to experience it in the theater like we did ten years ago,” Hartke said. 

Neufeld shared similar sentiments about the uniqueness of the screening for the kids of Hamilton. 

“It was interesting being able to watch kids of a younger generation experience the same movie-going experience and learn the same lessons,” Neufeld said.

To older viewers, the movie served as a reminder of the environmental climate that we face today, offering lessons that are even more relevant as time goes on. The story of “The Lorax” is a creative metaphor for the dangers of harming the environment, told through the eyes of a young boy who grows up in a world where all the trees have been cut down and fresh air is bottled and sold.

“This movie came out ten years ago, but it’s such a long standing story with great messages,” Neufeld said. 

The movie features lines directly from the book in Seuss’ trademark rhyming style, such as “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Quotes like that one remain important messages for children and adults alike in empowering the future of the environmental movement.

For those that didn’t make the event this year because of the storm, next year’s theme is guaranteed to be another big hit. Seuss Saturday will continue to bring the community together to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ entertaining stories and provide empowering messages for both children and adults.