At 5 p.m. next Thursday, 83-year-old Alfred Hobbs and his son Niels will pull up in their 1934 London taxi cab at the Opera House Movie Theater, 131 W. German St. Photo from www.alfredandjakobine-movie.com

Cameras will be rolling at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Opera House Movie Theater in Shepherdstown, when 83-year-old Alfred Hobbs and his son Niels pull up in their 1934 London taxi cab. They are driving from New Mexico to New York State as part of an independent documentary film based on Alfred’s 1955-1959 “honeymoon” expedition around the world with his (then) wife Jakobine.

Their tale is filled with excitement and adventure, including an encounter with the young Dalai Lama (who gifted them a dog), crossing the Sahara Desert, 128 flat tires, and being taken hostage at gunpoint. Alfred and son are now driving across the country, (visiting small town America along the way) to surprise 83-year-old Jakobine at her home in New York with an offer to take her “On one last drive … before it’s too late.”

Shepherdstown Mayor Jim Auxer will be on hand to welcome them to town, and the The Speakeasy Boys band will roll out the red carpet with songs and sounds familiar to Shepherdstown life.

Shepherd University’s WSHC (89.7FM) will be airing an interview with Alfred and filmmaker Johnathan Howells this Sunday at noon.

This event is free and open to the public

– For more documentary information please visit http://www.alfredandjakobine-movie.com/ or contact WSHC@shepherd.edu for event information.

– Submitted by Todd Cotgreave