As attendees wore a mix of 1920s attire, masks, and other accessories to conceal their identities, it is no wonder that last weekend’s Silents Under the Stars not only entailed a costume party, but also the showing of the 1925 silent film “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Taking place for the first time ever indoors at Hart Hall at William S. Hart Park — due to the recent change in weather — the annual fundraiser presented by the Friends of Hart Park and the city of Santa Clarita included a silent auction, the live accompaniment from pianist Ray Lowe and live opera performances of the 1986 Broadway adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera” by Mission Opera.
“Friends of Hart Park raises money for the park, so we do many events. Tonight is our first event with the brand-new movie theater we put in, which we raised $65,000 from doing a lot of events here. This is set up to do any kind of film with really high-quality speakers and the best projector we could get,” said Laurene Weste, city of Santa Clarita Mayor and president of Friends of Hart Park.
With the fundraiser later in the year than usual, the projector, which took five years to fundraise for, came just in time.
“We were a little worried about the weather because you know it rained a couple of days ago. Laurene made the very smart call about two-and-a-half weeks ago to have it inside,” said Phil Lantis, who’s on the board of directors for Friends of Hart Park. “Let’s not mess with that because you can’t fit 200 people inside, so we cut it off.”
“We don’t have to deal with wind in there, rain in there, heat in there, or cold in there. So we’re fine. We will probably do a permanent event with Halloween films because the community seems to really like it. We also have a silent auction, which we always do with unusual items,” Weste added. “There’s a Halloween costume contest going on, so people get dressed any way they want.”
The city acquiring Hart Park on July 1, 2025, has allowed for more ability to enhance the space for events like this.
“When the city took over the park, there was a lot of work being done. In a week or so, they’ll be doing [more work] on the hall, so we’re kind of fitting in between. We may end up having a summer and a Halloween event next year because this works so well. It’s easy for us,” Weste said. “This space [and projector] allows you to do any kind of public speaking event where you’re showing training films or you want to give lectures on wonderful history, as well as showing films. Tonight you’re going to see people doing stand-up. You’re going to see people doing opera singing. The sound is really good, and the equipment is just perfect. This is our first big event with that.”
Despite selling 100 tickets, or half the amount of tickets as usual, there is excitement in the use of new technological advances at the park.
“The whole evening is intended to have a good time, celebrate the legacy of William S. Hart, inform people about who he is, and raise some funds for projects like the projection system, which was our last big project. There’s always something else that we can do and improve out here,” Lantis said. “We were so close to Halloween, so we definitely wanted to choose a silent horror film … ‘Phantom’ is the most known and a classic, so that’s why we went with that one. This is the first time we’ve done this event near Halloween.”
Bill West, who’s also on the board of directors for Friends of Hart Park, is excited to welcome attendees who continue to support the legacy of William S. Hart.
“The reason for this event is to bring people’s awareness to Hart Park, and by coming to this event, people are supporting not just this event, but this entire park — all of William S. Hart’s property, the animals, the mansion that’s now open. We’re thrilled to be able to do this, and we’re thrilled that people come,” West said. “It’s called ‘Silents Under the Stars,’ but we’re missing the stars this time. But I think it’s going to be better. We had it one year where it got usually hot, and now there’s a chance of rain in October. We thought this would go smoother, and so far it has.”
“We’re really grateful for everyone that helped support the event and bought tickets and hopefully everyone has a good time,” Lantis added.
