Special events: ‘Home on the Range’ premiere, Smallgrass fest for kids

Two special Wichita film events are happening this weekend.

‘Home on the Range’ Wichita premiere

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway

How much: $10

This Kansas-made film tells the origin story of Brewster Higley’s “Home on the Range” song and cabin, located in Smith Center. In 1872, Higley wrote the poem originally titled “My Western Home” about his small cabin along Beaver Creek.

Featured in the film are Rance Howard, Buck Taylor, Darby Hinton and several local actors. Musicians contributing to the project include Kansas, Michael Martin Murphey, the Sons of the Pioneers and more.

The film was directed by Ken Spurgeon and was filmed in Smith Center, El Dorado, Topeka and Wichita. It is produced by Lone Chimney Films, a nonprofit educational film company based in Kansas, in association with Sperra Studios.

For more information on the film, go to www.lonechimneyfilms.org.

Smallgrass

When: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Boeing Dome Theater and Planetarium inside Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd.

How much: $7 general admission per film, $5 for Exploration Place members; $2 per person for additional films. Ages 2 and under are free. Admission also includes educational activities and access to Exploration Place’s 10 exhibit areas. Tickets can be purchased by calling Exploration Place at 316-660-0620, online at www.tallgrassfilmfest.com or at the door.

It’s the fifth year for this spinoff from the Tallgrass Film Festival that focuses on films for the young and young at heart. The program is curated in conjunction with Exploration Place’s upcoming traveling exhibit “Discover the Ice Age,” opening on Feb. 4. Here’s the Smallgrass line-up:

▪ Shorts for kids collection, 10 a.m. (58 minutes; suitable for ages 4 and older) – An eclectic mix of live action and animated short films.

▪ “Ice Age,” 11:30 a.m. (81 minutes; rated PG, recommended for ages 6 and older) – This 2003 Academy Award nominee for best animated feature follows a sloth named Sid, a woolly mammoth named Manny and a saber-toothed tiger named Diego as they go on an adventure to return a human child to its father while braving the deadly elements of the impending ice age.

▪ “Titans of the Ice Age,” 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. (40 minutes; unrated, not recommended for young kids) – Journey back to a lost time with some of Earth’s most awe-inspiring mammals, from saber-toothed cats and direwolves to giant sloths and mammoths.

▪ “March of the Penguins,” 2:30 p.m. (80 minutes; rated G, recommended for ages 6 and older) – This 2006 Academy Award winner for best documentary feature follows penguins in the Antarctic as they go on their annual march to find their perfect mates. Narrated by Morgan Freeman.

During the festival, food will be available for purchase from Brown Box Bakery, B.S. Sandwich Press (11 a.m.-2 p.m.), Lil’ Bit Gourmet Burgers and Sunflower Espresso (2-4 p.m.).

For more information, go to www.tallgrassfilmfest.com.

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Special events: ‘Home on the Range’ premiere, Smallgrass fest for kids."