To say that Megan Davies came late to the save-the-Paramount Theatre bandwagon would be an understatement.

But that doesn't mean the third-year University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) student isn't still trying to rescue the doomed downtown Chilliwack cinema.

A day after free seats from the movie theatre were handed out the back door, and a day before the iconic sign was taken down, Davies and some friends-UFV Students to Save the Paramount-held a "peaceful assembly" across Yale Road on an empty lot.

"What we are doing is trying to make a last attempt to try to preserve the Paramount Theatre," Davies told the Times Friday.

The group screened Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times on the wall of the Paramount while people watched from the gravel parking lot across the street.

The group plans to screen Three Stooges episodes next Sunday (Nov. 25) at 9 p.m. complete with samosas, chai tea and cookies.

Davies isn't letting the fact that city council decided in August to demolish the building stop her. On Friday, she was attempting to get on the agenda of Tuesday's council meeting to talk about her plan to turn the Paramount into a community centre.

She also plans on showing up at the city's Official Community Plan review open house at UFV Chilliwack on Nov. 22.

"[T]he revitalizing of the structure of the Paramount can be utilized to serve much needed societal purposes in Chilliwack: a venue for local bands, film screenings, or an event centre for low-income families and youth," Davies said.

In August, city council voted six-to-one to demolish the Paramount after rejecting the proposal submitted by the Chilliwack Paramount Society.

The society's proposal was deemed to be non-conforming as there was no financial institution backing, no insurance and it asked for the building to be handed over for $1.

phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com