Hundreds attend Jumanji screening at Colonial

Aug. 24--The applause was immediate as a familiar landscape came onto the screen: the white steeple, the brick buildings, the bandstand and the cars driving around the intersection.

There's Keene'sCentral Square, on the big screen, as the story of "Jumanji" begins.

The movie was shown at The Colonial Theatre Saturday afternoon in memory of Robin Williams, who took his own life earlier this month following a battle with depression.

More than 500 people showed up to watch the movie, filmed in part in Keene nearly 20 years ago. Judging by the loud laughter during the movie, they also came to celebrate Williams' talent for making people smile.

The event was a fundraiser for MAPS Counseling Services, which collected more than $1,000 in donations and handed out brochures about the agency's services as well as flyers with warning signs for depression and suicide.

MAPS is the largest provider of outpatient mental health care services in the Monadnock Region, and will serve more than 1,000 families this year, Executive Director Gary S. Barnes said.

The donation money from Saturday will be split with the Samaritans Inc., a local crisis hotline, Barnes said.

For MAPS, the money will support the agency's client fund, used to offer low-cost counseling for people who don't have health insurance or whose insurance doesn't cover counseling services.

After news of Williams' death broke, Monadnock area residents started a memorial underneath the Parrish Shoes sign that's a souvenir from when the movie was filmed here for a couple of weeks in 1994. It's grown in the two weeks since.

Jane and Mike Maine of Leominster, Mass., walked by the memorial after the movie with their grandsons, Elijah and Max Jackson. Elijah and Max had seen the movie many times before; they watch it when they visit their grandparents.

"I don't have a favorite part," Elijah said. "They're all so good."

But Sunday was Jane Maine's first time, and she said it was fun to see some of Keene's landmarks in the film.

Loud applause broke out several times during the film, but especially when Williams makes his on-screen premiere as the hairy, bearded jungle man. The crowd stood and cheered when Williams' name appeared on the screen for the credits.

Barnes said Williams' death has put a spotlight on depression, and he hopes it will help society get away from the stigma of shame that's associated with the disease, so people feel comfortable seeking help. Because with help, depression is treatable, Barnes said.

If one good thing comes of Williams' suicide, maybe it will wake up the public, so people see how important it is to make behavioral health care more attainable and affordable, he said.

"Maybe it will save some lives."

Kaitlin Mulhere can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439 or kmulhere@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMulhereKS.

___

(c)2014 The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.)

Visit The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.) at www.sentinelsource.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services