Twenty years of dedication, vision, and hard work have brought us here—The Gem is shining once again! Join us for a weekend of celebration filled with gratitude, music, film, and community.
This night is for the true heart of the Gem—our incredible volunteers and donors. Without you, there would be no Gem.
7:00 p.m. – Reception in the Star Saloon. We’ll gather for one last “work party” photo on the grand staircase, complete with street tacos from Calvert’s Sugar Shack, a no-host wine bar featuring a local winery, and bottled water on us.
7:30 p.m. – A very special facility dedication in the Gem. Enjoy a 20-minute documentary by Elsa Rogers, Gem volunteer since age twelve and now a U of O film student, showcasing the two-decade journey of restoration.
8:00 p.m. – Live in concert: The Director’s Jazz Quartet, featuring our beautifully restored 1925 Knabe grand piano, dedicated to longtime teacher Althadel Beamer.
If you’ve drifted away, come home for this moment. It’s our “Field of Dreams”—not in corn, but in wheat. Overflow seating is available in the Star Saloon with live audio and video feed—yes, we’re jokingly calling it “Buffalo Wild Wings – Gem Edition.”
Bluegrass with Jacie and the Nitpickers
7:30 p.m.
Athena has never seen a night like this! Get ready for a joyful, family-friendly evening with five-time National Fiddle Champion Jacie Sites and her band, Miss Jacie and the Nitpickers.
🎟️ Tickets: $15 (includes popcorn)
Tickets are available online now—don’t wait, we expect a sellout!
The Premiere of City Girl
2:00 p.m.
Shot in August 1928 at Thorn Hollow, just five miles from the Gem, F.W. Murnau’s City Girl is a timeless silent melodrama of wheat, love, and conflict. Though it was never shown here when the theatre was still the Standard—overshadowed by talkies and the Depression—we are proud to finally host its premiere.
This screening features a brand-new score by composer John F. Paul, performed live by members of the East Oregon Symphony.
🎟️ Tickets: $20 (includes popcorn)
This program is underwritten in part by Oregon Film, the Oregon Film Trail, Umatilla County, and Wheatland Insurance. Seating is limited—buy your tickets now, this will sell out!
October 11. Athena’s Gem will receive an Oregon Cultural Trust FY2022 grant in the amount of $18,341 that will be used to further the installation of our eighteen rank, 1921 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. The organ will be the only public installation in Oregon east of the Cascades and is a longstanding project collaboration between Athena’s Gem and the students of Weston McEwen High School.
