A capacity crowd listens to the final performance of Ollie's Trash Can at Webby D's.

Lines with wait times of about 30 minutes were common at several popular bars. Ron Le, a bouncer at Webby D’s, said there was a line that began at 7 p.m. and had not abated all night. The capacity of the venue is 175 people and as people slowly trickled out, an equal number were admitted to watch the final performance of the band Ollie’s Trash Can.

Other live music could be heard at La Huerta where The Blue Collar Band performed.

The hoots and hollers of happy celebrants were drowned out when in the proximity of MS Mobile DJ’s converted ambulance that pumped out the tunes and showed music videos on several monitors. Marc Sparks, the owner of the DJ service, also had a remote controlled camera that he panned and zoomed to capture crowd video that was streamed live to a large inflatable screen.

Fort Smith police cruised the avenue on bikes and cars to keep order although the party scene was one of good times and no trouble in the two hours this observer spent bar hopping, taking photographs and talking to people.

Joel Rafkin

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Still from "Kicking and Screaming'

The City of Fayetteville is proud to announce that the Parks and Recreation Department received four awards from the Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association at their annual conference in Fort Smith for three of its outstanding programs and one outstanding volunteer. Mayor Lioneld Jordan will present these awards at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting Monday, March 1, 2010, at 5:30 p.m. at the City Administration Building at 113 West Mountain in room 111.

The first annual Fall Soccer Kick-off Celebration won the Sports Management Program of the Year in Arkansas. The event was planned to provide an opportunity for participants and parents to meet their coaches, locate fields, and pick up uniforms prior to their first practice.  The event included soccer contests as well as the Passback Program to donate used soccer equipment to needy children around the world.  The evening culminated with the movie “Kicking and Screaming” on a giant inflatable movie screen. Accepting this award is Tiffany Gaulke, Recreation Program Manager for Soccer.

Christopher Spencer

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Those of you who live in Carroll County, Arkansas know that the Lucky 13 Starlight Outdoor Cinema is the place to go for family-friendly entertainment, especially during the warm months of summer. The open air cinema screens outdoor movies every Sunday evening with fun events like live music and special guests. Relive your childhood memories with movies under the stars, and pass the tradition along to the next generation. Remember when you fell asleep at the drive-in? At the Starlight Outdoor Cinema…every night is pajama night. And these outdoor film screenings are unlike any other you’ve seen: you’ll experience crazy costume contests and are encouraged to bring your own creative seating -lazy boys, blankets, whatever you can cart in.

Last weekend Lucky 13 Starlight Outdoor Cinema screened “Dr. Seuss’s 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T”. They will be taking a hiatus during August, but will begin again with a Labor Day Spectacular screening of “Bedtime Stories,” with Adam Sandler, scheduled for Sept. 6. Admission is a $3 donation for adults and $1 for children. Bring your own seating. There will be concessions available at Snack World, a Main Stage Creative Community Center fundraising booth.

Lucky 13 Starlight Outdoor Cinema official website

Wilson Park Pool

Forget outdated drive-ins and welcome to the modern age of the outdoor movie: “dive-in” movies in the pool. All during the months of June and July, a Dive-In Outdoor Movie Series has been held in the pool at Wilson Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The movie was projected onto an inflatable screen which was positioned at one end of the pool, while people swam and splashed around watching the film (i’m sure some older folks and little kids enjoyed the movie poolside as well). Admission was free, and the first 150 people to the outdoor film received free inflatable rafts float on while the film played. “Kung Fu Panda” was the first film to grace the outdoor cinema, followed by “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “Over the Hedge”. No word if there are more outdoor movies to come, but we will keep you posted if we hear anything more about these dive-in movies. If you missed this awesome outdoor film event, make your own! Recruit a friend with the biggest pool in the neighborhood and set up a backyard movie theater with a home-size inflatable movie screen for your own “dive-in”!

Summer Movie Series Begins at Wilson Pool

Everyone into the pool, Friday marked the first night for the Dive-In Movie series at Wilson Park.

Hundreds of families packed the pool to watch ” Kung Fu Panda.”It’s the first of several shows scheduled for this summer.

The Fayetteville chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters union gave $2,500 for the pool program.

The city sets up a 25-foot inflatable movie screen on one end of the pool, while people sit in the shallow end and watch.

The Dive-In movies are free to the public and begin at dusk. Upcoming shows include ” Journey to the Center of the Earth on July 10 and “Over the Hedge” on July 21.

The pool opens at 7:30 p.m. and the first 150 people are given a raft to use for the night.

Source: http://www.kfsm.com/news/kfsm-news-nwa-wilson-pool-movies-kung-fu-panda,0,1529637.story

When Sun Sets, Movie Starts at Lucky 13 Series

Charlotte Buchanan comes to movies and entertainment naturally. As a child, she lived across the street from a drive-in theater in Dallas. When she was 3, her mother left her in an auditorium seat while jumping on stage at the request of television’s Cowboy Bob and Howdy Doody.

The fascination stuck, and she has been doing an outdoor movie gig since 1992, when she produced double features in Seattle. She recalls the 10,000 people who watched Fritz Lang’s silent 1927 classic Metropolis with a 17-piece orchestra supplying the music.

Buchanan moved to Eureka Springs seven years ago to be a writer and a waitress. But she got involved again with entertainment production, with her Lucky 13 Starlight Cinema, a summer series of outdoor films.

“This is my art form,” she says.

Lucky 13 Starlight Cinema, in its sixth year, has been scaled down from the original 13 to eight weeks of films. Starting today with Journey to the Center of the Earth, movies will be shown for a nominal admission charge each Sunday on the side of the Basin Spring Bath House on Main Street. Gates open at 7 p.m.; the show starts at dusk.

The series runs through July 26, with a final Sept. 6 screening on Labor Day weekend. A list of the movies and other details can be found at www. lucky13cinema.org.

“That, for me, will always be the kick in the pants, that you’ve talked all these people into hanging out in a parking lot for hours,” she says. Other cities in Northwest Arkansas, including Fayetteville, Rogers, Fort Smith and Siloam Springs, have started free outdoor movie series.

In central Arkansas, the next film in the free Movies in the Park program at Riverfront Park in Little Rock will be Batman Begins, starting at sundown Wednesday. Details on that weekly series, running through July 29, are at www.moviesin theparklr.net.

The city of Eureka Springs doesn’t contribute to Buchanan’s series, so she solicits sponsorships; it takes about $13,000 to produce this summer’s eightmovie series. She gets pledges by February, but waits until after the Oscars to finalize the slate of summer films.

A bulb for the film projector costs $500. Some movies are more expensive, such as Slumdog Millionaire, which will cost her $600 to show.

This summer’s selection includes a variety of movies – from adventures to musicals. In past years, one-third of the crowds for Casablanca and Breakfast at Tiffany’s had never seen those movies.

“So many people have never seen these amazing classic films,” she says.

So she’s trying to educate them.

Lucky 13 always has a B-movie night, and this year’s is July 26, with The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953), the only movie ever written by Dr. Seuss, aka Theodore S. Geisel. It’s a musical fantasy with set design by the author in his strange stylings. Many people her age saw it when they were young.

“But we’re OK,” she says.

She has been doing “good, clean, weird family entertainment” for years through her GlamOrama Productions, intent on “desegregating” entertainment.

Lucky 13 audiences, ranging from 100 to 400, are supposed to bring their own seats – lawn chairs, couches, inflatable mattresses. She has seen an entire living room suite reassembled on the parking lot. For an anniversary celebration, one couple brought a candelabrum and a dinner spread.

Buchanan also expects the crowd to participate and interact, becoming part of the entertainment. She wants more people to dress up in costumes paired with each movie. For Mamma Mia!, she encourages people to don their best disco costumes as they sing along to the subtitles.

For the July 19 double feature – Double Indemnity with Barbara Stanwyck and In This Our Life with Bette Davis – she wants to see costumes that scream “best evil film siren.” She’ll also officiate a wedding at the outdoor cinema that night.

In previous years, audience members of all ages wore outrageous costumes to Horton Hears a Who. For Little Miss Sunshine, they all had to push a Volkswagen Beetle out of the way before watching the movie.

Gone With the Wind was “outrageous,” with eight rolling racks draped with curtain fabric. In Project Runway fashion, teams ran to grab fabric and then furiously created and stitched ball gowns from the material.

“It’s the unexpected that makes it lovely,” she says. “It’s a vortex of spontaneity.”

Though Buchanan started the series, continuity and an “ensemble cast” have been essential to its success and its survival. “It’s hard work,” she says, but a labor of love.

For tonight’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, she took the time to put 3-D stickers on 400 pairs of glasses.

Lucky 13 movies are “almost free,” at $3 for adults and $1 for children. Prizes – for which Buchanan scours garage sales and thrift shops – are given away each week. Main Stage Creative Community Center provides concessions as a fundraiser.

Sept. 6, the date of this summer’s final screening, will also bring the debut of The Artery, the downtown art project of large panels that create a mural along the parking lots. The curated show, with the theme “Seasons,” will involve more than 30 artists.

After marrying artist James Yale last year, Buchanan spends her weekdays in Avoca and her weekends in Eureka Springs. She has enjoyed watching children in Eureka Springs grow up with the outdoor movies. This summer, she plans to have a youngster serve as guest master of ceremonies each week.

She thinks it’s important for youngsters to see adults being true to their vision, listening to their creative spark and acting silly.

Source: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Style/262006/

“Good, clean, weird family entertainment” is how the Lucky 13 Outdoor Cinema billed itself as it announced its sixth season starting on Sunday evenings June 14 through Labor Day weekend in the parking lot at 1 North Main St., where the movies will be shown on the side of Basin Spring Bath House.

Movies will start at dusk, and viewers are encouraged to B.Y.O.S. — bring your own seating. Anything from lawn chairs and air mattresses are standard, but seating has included couches, lazy boys, boats and dining tables for anniversary parties.

The Lucky 13 is the creation of Charlotte Buchanan’s glamOrama Productions. GlamOrama has been producing outdoor cinema since 1992, and Buchanan is a Seattle Ticket Master award winner for outdoor cinema.

A bargain at twice the price

For a $3 donation ($1 for children), the evenings combine live music, sometimes double features, animation, local color and zany contests dedicated to creating local and interactive entertainment for all ages.

As Buchanan put it, “Just when you thought you could not have any more fun in a parking lot without a car …”

Each show includes prizes as well. A Shopping Spree Bucks giveaway and other prizes will be awarded for best movie theme audience participation for those willing to become part of the entertainment by making a spectacle of themselves.

The outdoor movie schedule

The June 14 premiere will be a “Night Of The Living 3-D” event featuring “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 3-D. Free 3-D glasses are available while they last at the Cornerstone Bank Financial Center at 152 E. Van Buren.

The event, featuring music by the Ariels, will be sponsored by Cornerstone Bank and KUAF 91.3 FM and hosted by Sparky’s Roadhouse Cafe and Nature’s Treasures.

On June 21, “Retail Magic Night,” the movie will be “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,” featuring music by the Fabulous Hogscalders, sponsored by Spider Woman Graphics and hosted by Granny’s Place and The Rowdy Beaver Restaurant and Tavern.

On June 28, “Who Wants To Be A Millionairrrrrrrrre? Night,” the movie will be the award-winning “Slumdog Millionaire,” with music by Opal Fly & thy Faery Pranksters. It will be sponsored by New Delhi Cafe and hosted by Mud Street Cafe and Chon and Jasmine Stanley.

July 5 will be an horrific “Mummy’s Night Out” event featuring “The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor,” with music by the Zack Bramhall Band, sponsored by the Eureka Market and hosted by Regalia Handmade Clothing.

The July 12 evening will be a “Sing-A-Long Night” with Abba sub-titles for the movie “Mamma Mia.” Music will be provided by the Awesome Possums. The event will be sponsored by Ermilio’s Italian Home Cooking and hosted by Cafe Soliel and the Treehouse Cottages.

On July19, “Bad Girls Rule Night,” “Double Indemnity” with Barbara Stanwyck will be double billed with “In This Our Life,” starring Bette Davis. Music will be by Lany Ballance & Her Badass Babes. The event will be sponsored by glamOrama production and hosted by the Pied Piper, the Cathouse Lounge and Rae Hahn.

“It’s Really Not That Bad of a ‘B’ Movie Night” will happen July 26 with the Dr. Seuss’ live-action movie, “The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr. T.” Music will be by Opal Fly & thy Faery Pranksters. The event will be sponsored by E-MotionWorks.

During the month of August, the Lucky 13 will be on vacation unless scheduled for rain dates.

Labor Day Spectacular

Sunday, Sept. 6 will be the Labor Day Weekend Spectacular. It will start at 6 p.m. with the unveiling of the 2009 season Artery panels on the theme “Seasons.” The movie will be Disney’s “Bedtime Story,” and music will be provided by the Tiffany Christopher Band. The event will be sponsored by Local Flavor Cafe and hosted by the Eureka Fine Art Company.

Snack World movie concessions for all the movie nights will be provided by Main Stage Creative Community Center as its fundraiser.

Source: “Lucky 13 Cinema to begin 6th season” by Don Lee -Lovely County Citizen. Read full article at: http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/1546615.html.

Public Pools Feature Dive-In Movies

The aquatic parks in Springdale and Prairie Grove are open for swimmers and Fayetteville’s Wilson Park Pool is opening Saturday.

All three of the county’s outdoor public pools are offering four separate Red Cross learn-to-swim classes for school-age children, officials said.

Springdale Aquatic Center opens for the season beginning today after opening over the past two weekends.

“It was great this past weekend. We had over 500 people both days,” John Marshall, Springdale aquatics director, said.

The pool is open daily through the Labor Day weekend.

The admission prices are the same as last year: $2 for age 4 and younger and $3 for age 5 and older, he said.

Pool hours are noon until 6:45 p.m. daily, except for Sunday when the pool opens at 1 p.m. The pool is available for private parties after hours, he said.

Springdale does not offer season passes, but swimmers can get 20 percent off the admission price by purchasing discount ticket books.

The Springdale Aquatic Center opened in 2000. It has both 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards, eight floating toys, two large water slides, two basketball goals, water tumble buckets and two youth slides, he said.
Busy in Prairie Grove

Prairie Grove Aquatic Park began its regular operating season Saturday, after having been open for Memorial Day weekend.

Kecia Grigson, pool manager, said Monday the staff was busy selling lots of season passes and signing up kids for swimming lessons, after a busy weekend.

“We were very, very busy. Hopefully that’s how the season will be,” she said. “Memorial Day was bad because it was rainy and cold.”

The Prairie Grove Aquatic Park opened in July 2001 and is the only municipal pool in Washington County outside of Springdale and Fayetteville. Grigson said the pool draws swimmers from Prairie Grove, Farmington, Lincoln, Fayetteville and northeast Oklahoma

“Everything has gone real smooth this year,” she said.

The price of admission is $4 for age 6 and older and $3 for 5 and younger and seniors age 55 and older. Season passes are $60 for individuals and $185 for a family of four and $35 for each additional member.

The pool is open daily through Aug. 16, the Sunday before the first week of school.

Pool hours are noon to 6 p.m. from Monday through Thursday, noon to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Fayetteville adds third dive-in movie

The cost of admission and season tickets is less at Fayetteville’s Wilson Park Pool than at the newer facilities in Springdale and Prairie Grove. The daily admission price is $2 for adults and $1 for children in Fayetteville.

Season passes are $30 for youth, $50 for adults and $85 for families. The pool is open daily except for Mondays from June 6 until Aug. 16.

Pool hours are 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The pool is open Tuesday through Friday for adult lap swimming from noon until 1 p.m. with open swim from 1 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. Adult lap swim and swimming lessons are from 5:30 p.m. until 6:50 p.m. with family swim from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m.

“We’re looking forward to another summer over there. We’ve added an additional dive-in movie this year,” Tiffany Gaulke, Fayetteville recreation program manager, said.

The pool offers free “dive-in” movies — scheduled for June 26 and July 10 and 24 beginning at dark. Movies are shown on an inflatable screen and swimmers are provided with inner tubes, she said.

BY SCOTT F. DAVIS Northwest Arkansas Times
Source: http://nwanews.com/nwat/News/77051/

Summer Schedule for LR’s Movies in the Park

Movies in the Park, the popular outdoor free movie night at the Riverfest Amphitheater, announces its 2009 summer schedule with a diverse list of titles, including blockbusters such as “Batman Begins” and “The Bourne Supremacy”, along with old favorites “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “When Harry Met Sally.”

Movies in the Park begins its fifth season with special thanks to sponsors B98.5, Comcast, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, The River Market, Entergy and Stone Ward. Movies will play weekly at dusk on Wednesday nights beginning June 3 running through July 29.

“We are excited to kick off year five of Movies in the Park,” said Blake Rutherford, who heads Movies in the Park volunteer steering committee. “We owe a special thanks to our sponsors and all of the people who continue to come and enjoy outdoor movies. Attendance continues to grow each year, and we’re thrilled to announce another season of entertaining outdoor cinema.”

Rutherford says families, picnics and pets are invited to the park to enjoy movies under the stars. The amphitheater will open an hour before film showings and movies will start at sundown each week.

“Movies in the Park provides families the opportunity to explore downtown and enjoy a movie together,” said Sharon Priest, executive director of the Downtown Partnership. “We believe this is another strong cultural attraction that complements the continued growth and vitality of downtown Little Rock.”

The 2009 schedule includes:

June 3 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
June 10 The Princess Bride
June 17 Batman Begins
June 24 Shrek the Third
July 1 When Harry Met Sally
July 8 The Bourne Supremacy
July 15 Curious George
July 22 Juno

Source: http://arkansasmatters.com/content/entertainment_news_Fulltext?cid=226342#tvg

Outdoor music festivals and the Lucky 13 Starlight Cinema are now safe from being in conflict with the city’s noise ordinance. The Eureka Springs City Council acted quickly in a special called meeting Monday night to approve amendments to the city’s noise ordinance to address concerns about the legality of using amplified sound at outdoor events.

A week ago Mayor, Dani Joy and the council expressed concerns about previously overlooked conflicts in the city’s noise ordinance that restricted sound amplification. Alderperson James DeVito said he was concerned about the impact on the upcoming Eureka Springs Blues Weekend that has music at different outdoor venues throughout the city. The blues events (see www.eurekaspringsblues.com), which start May 28, includes 70 performances in 15 venues with well-known artists such as Guitar Shorty and Joe Louis Walker.

Overlooking the obvious

“We have obviously overlooked something,” DeVito said at the May 11 council meeting. “This deals with all festivals. We have an issue here that we need to resolve.”

The council had considered asking the police not to enforce the noise ordinance until it was amended. But City Attorney Tim Weaver said it is never a good idea to ask police not to enforce a law, and instead recommended acting quickly to amend the ordinance.

At the earlier meeting, Alderperson Butch Berry said the ordinance made it appear the city didn’t want special events.

“We do need special events as we are a tourist town, “Berry said. “I would like the festivals in the next few weeks to continue. This ordinance makes it look like we don’t want special events.”

Council declares emergency

At the special called meeting Monday night, the council approved first, second and third readings of amendments to the city’s noise ordinance. Normally ordinances go through three readings at separate meetings of the council to give people time to respond with any concerns. But the council invoked an emergency clause allowing the second and third readings because of the economic harm that would have been caused if the festivals were disrupted.

The ordinance approved as amended reads:

“No person shall operate or allow to be operated any loudspeaker, sound amplifier or similar device from which sound emanates out-of-doors in a commercially zoned area, with the exception of those businesses having a restaurant license, permitted outdoor seating and an amplified sound permit or be an officially recognized festival or special event with a permit as authorized by Section 7.16.07. However, amplified sound emanating from permitted businesses will not exceed 65dB and 85dB for officially recognized festivals or special events as measured by a SLM.”

‘Lucky 13′ is aptly named

At the council meeting May 11, a number of residents spoke about wanting the city to continue allowing the Lucky 13 Starlight Cinema that attracts both city residents and tourists. And at the council meeting April 27, Chris Rose spoke in favor of the cinema and presented the council with a petition signed by 81 people in support of continuing the event.

The council’s next regularly scheduled meeting falls on Memorial Day, May 25. Because it is a holiday, the council will not meet again until June 8 at 6 p.m.

Source: http://www.lovelycitizen.com/story/1541031.html

Photo Credit (all photos): Lucky 13 Cinema

Charlotte Buchanan hopes 13 will be a lucky number for the outdoor cinema this year. In a Citizen interview last week, Buchanan said she has definite sponsorships for eight outdoor movie shows, and two more likely sponsors. That leaves three dates without sponsors, with time running short to promote the upcoming season.

“It will happen,” Buchanan said with conviction. “People want it.”

Even though the first of this season’s outdoor movies will not air until three months from now, Buchanan has concerns about nailing down the schedule. She would like to be sending out schedules already, and she feels valuable opportunities slipping away. “Time is ticking,” she said.

Last year, outdoor films ran every Sunday evening at dusk, from June 11 through Sept. 3. The movies were projected on the side of the Basin Spring Bath House Building on North Main Street. Although the movies could not start until dusk, the fun began much earlier, with musicians and other family-oriented entertainment.

Buchanan explained the costs of renting the movies, paying entertainers, and the other production costs that add up so quickly. “I want to keep the cost of admission low,” she said, so she can not recoup expenses by increasing prices.

The Lucky 13 Starlight Cinema has survived on sponsorships, most of which come from businesses who see this event as a positive contribution to Eureka Springs on a day which is traditionally very slow. Last year, the City Advertising and Promotions Commission also contributed $3,000 to the outdoor cinema, and Buchanan hopes to receive a similar commitment this year.

As the website http://www.lucky13cinema.org proclaims, the movie gives tourists “another great reason to stay over another night in beautiful Eureka Springs.” The CAPC has contributed sponsorships for two of the four years of the outdoor cinema, but Buchanan would like to see the cinema budgeted “like any other festival.” She cites the “bang for the buck” provided by the outdoor movie event, and the festival atmosphere which ties in so well with the image of Eureka Springs. “People should call their CAPC commissioners if they think this is important,” Buchanan said. The CAPC will next meet on Wednesday.

Buchanan shows her love for the outdoor cinema as soon as she begins talking about it. “We’re sharing our town,” she said. “We get people shoulder to shoulder who might not otherwise spend time together.” Buchanan acknowledges that not everyone would like every movie, but with the variety of the schedule, “we’ll have something for everyone.” And she stresses the unusual nature of the outdoor cinema, which “invites the kid in us to play!”

As a practical note, Buchanan points out that the cinema helps support local musicians, and the concession sales last year helped to support Main Stage, which grossed about $6,000 for the season. The cinema clearly succeeded in drawing audiences, with attendance as high as 500 for The Chronicles of Narnia.

The cinema was tied in with the Sunday Market, which Buchanan is selling. The Sunday Market will run from May through the first week in October, and Buchanan described the two projects as “integral to each other.” She said both events help focus attention on merchants on North Main Street, and they also help encourage people to spend an extra night in Eureka Springs. Buchanan said her election to the City Council led her to sell the Sunday Market, to avoid any questions of conflict of interest. She does not see any conflict in operating the outdoor cinema, as long as she keeps everything out in the open. “I want transparency,” she said.

The outdoor movies will run at least until Labor Day, and maybe a week beyond. The start of the season’s schedule may depend on how many sponsors come forward, but Buchanan hopes for a full slate of 13 dates.

The movies scheduled for this year include “Dream Girls,” “Pirates of the Caribbean-the Black Pearl,” “The World’s Fastest Indian,” “Raising Arizona,” “Kinky Boots,” “Night at the Museum,” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” The first installment of the series will be a “sleepover” event for kids, with “How to Eat Fried Worms,” “Monster House,” and “School of Rock.” Another Sunday will have a double feature with “Cars” and “Bullitt.”

“You can’t buy inspiration,” Buchanan said, as she explained what the outdoor cinema means to her and to the community. Her sense of purpose is infectious, and she uses a theatrical reference to encourage everyone to believe in the future of the outdoor movie series. “It’s just like Tinkerbell: you have to clap if you believe!”

Source: The Citizen. Read full article here: http://eurekapeople.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3299#p11440.

Movies in the Park is a free outdoor movie series in Little Rock’s River Market. The mission of Movies in the Park is help foster a sense of community and enjoyment in downtown Little Rock and throughout Central Arkansas by bringing people together to enjoy a movie in a unique setting along the scenic banks of the Arkansas River.

Movies in the Park began its fourth season of outdoor movies with a special thanks to sponsors Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Comcast, the Downtown Little Rock Partnership, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, the River Market and Stone Ward. The movies played weekly on Wednesday nights beginning June 4 and running through July 23.

“We are excited about the fourth year of Movies in the Park,” said Blake Rutherford, head of the Movies in the Park volunteer steering committee. “We owe a special thanks to all of our sponsors and all of the people who continue to come and enjoy outdoor movies. In 2007, we saw more people than ever come downtown to enjoy a free movie at Riverfront Park.”

Moviegoers are encouraged to bring families, picnics and pets to the park to enjoy an outdoor movie under the stars. The amphitheater opens an hour before film showings and movies start at sundown each week. The movies are free and open to the public.

“Movies in the Park provide families the opportunity to explore downtown and enjoy a movie together,” said Sharon Priest, executive director of the Downtown Partnership. “We believe this is another strong cultural attraction that complements the continued growth and vitality of downtown Little Rock.”

The 2008 schedule included:

June 4 E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial
June 11 Rocky
June 18 Happy Feet
June 25 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
July 2 Notting Hill
July 9 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
July 16 Casino Royale
July 23 The Wizard of Oz

Along with the regular schedule, Movies in the Park again hosted the closing night festivities of the Little Rock Film Festival on Sunday, May 18.

Official Website: http://www.moviesintheparklr.net/mission/