Friday, Jul. 11, 2008

Retro Entertainment

All That’s Missing is a Car and the Window Speaker

By John English

Contributing Writer

More than 100 Flower Mound area residents were treated to an outdoor movie last Thursday night in what Parker Square officials hope was the first of a series of three monthly films for 2008.

Visitors sat in lawn chairs, spread out on blankets or just lay in the grass and watched The Spiderwick Chronicles near the gazebo in Parker Square. And for some, the movie was a trip down memory lane.

"This does remind me a lot of the old drive-in theaters," Mike Roberts of Lewisville said. "It is really great to be able to share this with my son. I think Star Wars was the first movie I saw in a drive-in. We won’t say how old I am now."

Parker Square started the tradition of showing outdoor movies last summer, Parker Square Property administrator and event coordinator Wendy Trayler said, and so far, they have been a pretty big success.

"We just wanted to have a fun summer event for families," Trayler said. "We wanted to have something different. Outdoor movies are cool. We’ve had between 200 and 500 people at each movie, depending on what’s showing."

Viewers were treated to free popcorn and snow cones and there was no charge to watch the movie either.

Time-Warner was one of the sponsors on hand for The Spiderwick Chronicles, and they presented blue star glow necklaces for the children at the event, something for which many parents were grateful.

"We have a game the kids would play where – depending on what [prize area] they land in – that is what they win," Time-Warner representative Trey Oyervides said. "Tonight, we decided to give all of the kids necklaces so they can at least be seen if they’re running around or get away from their parents."

Tammy Follett of Flower Mound said she enjoys taking her family to the outdoor movies because it is local, affordable and fun.

"We came last year and thought it was great," Follett said. "It was the first time we saw Ratatouille. It is wonderful to share with the kids, because it is a great outdoor thing, and we don’t have to travel far away. It is great to be able to stay in the neighborhood."

Trayler said the movies are sponsored by different organizations and that she is looking for a sponsor for July. She said a movie has been booked for Aug. 14 already.

"If I have anything to do with it, these movies will be something we do every year," Trayler said.

Contact Wendy Trayler at 972-874-9700 for more information on the outdoor movies or sponsorship.