Riviera Theatre & Bar hosting Nathan Moore Affair, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ugliest sweater finale Friday

Christmas is less than two weeks away, and the Riviera Theatre & Bar in downtown Three Rivers is preparing for not one, but three events happening this Friday.

The Nathan Moore Affair returns to the bar for a 7 p.m. concert that has no cover charge. Over in the auditorium, 1946’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be shown in black and white. Admission is $8 for students and seniors and $9 for adults. Finally, the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will conclude their ugliest sweater contest at 8 p.m. in the bar. The top three winners get an award and a $25 gift card good at any participating DDA business. The contest finale also does not have a cover charge.

“We often utilize both spaces as different audiences are looking for different entertainment during the holiday season,” Riviera General Manager Danielle Moreland said. “If someone purchases a movie ticket, they are free to enjoy the bar show, but bar patrons without a movie ticket will not be able to sneak a peek at the film.”

Nathan Moore has been a part of the Three Rivers community for as long as Moreland can remember. She recalled his 2017 debut with the Generations Band, plus being a special guest with several touring acts. The Nathan Moore Affair, which has been a quartet since 2022, features Moore on vocals and the keytar, guitarist Chris Schleuder, bassist Mark Glubke, and Carolyn Koebel on percussion.

“We had such a good time the last time we were there,” Moore said. “We always enjoy coming to Three Rivers. We were at Three Rivers Pride earlier this year and we’ve also played at the bar and for HarmonyFest. We’re always looking for reasons to come back to Three Rivers.”

Moore, initially unaware of Friday’s contest, said he’s happy that it’s happening.

“I’ll have to look and see what kind of sweaters that I have,” he said.

Ugliest sweater contestants have to follow just two rules. First, they must show off their festive holiday attire under the ornament display in East Alley or under the Christmas tree in the Mural Mall. They’ve also got to tag the Downtown Three Rivers Facebook page by 7 p.m. Friday.

In addition to Friday’s showing in black and white, “It’s a Wonderful Life” will also be shown at 4 p.m. Saturday in color. The movie, along with 1954’s “White Christmas,” being shown Friday, December 20, and Saturday, December 21, are part of a holiday tradition that’s lasted for 15 years.

“The Riv. will be featuring holiday drink specials, a festive concert with the talented Nathan Moore Affair and sweater party in the bar, and a black and white holiday classic in the auditorium,” Moreland said about Friday’s entertainment. “No matter how a person wants to celebrate the season, we have you covered.”

The Riviera’s other December entertainment includes:

• Karaoke with Kris, a free event, plus the 4 p.m. showing of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” on Saturday.
• “White Christmas” being showing at 7 p.m. Friday, December 20, and 4 p.m. Saturday, December 21.
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” being shown at 7 p.m. Saturday, December 21.
• “Elf” being shown for free Monday, December 23 as part of the Riviera’s 99th birthday.
• A free Mick Kolassa concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 27
• “Midnight on Main,” with $10 tickets and music by The Kennedy Affair starting at 9 p.m., on Tuesday, December 31.

Moore briefly previewed this Friday’s concert.

“We are going to be doing songs from the album we released this year, ‘Reconciliation,’” he said. “You can find that on Bandcamp. We’ll have actual physical CDs at the show. We’ll also be doing a few of our favorite covers and some new material that we’ve been doing since then.”

Frank Stanko is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.