Emily Plihal
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Smoky River Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) is welcoming families to attend this year’s Movie in the Park.
“It has been some time since we were last able to provide a movie in the park for our community and we felt that in place of our usual community barbecue this would be a nice treat for everyone,” says FCSS Community Program Coordinator Anita Portsmouth. “Events like this are a good way for families to spend quality time together at little to no cost, it also offers the opportunity for people to get together and to meet new people within their community.”
The movie night will be hosted on Sept. 12 at the Honey Capital Park.
There will be two movies showcased, IF (Imaginary Friends) will be at 4 pm and Wonka will be shown at 7 pm.
IF is a story of a young girl who goes through a difficult experience, and characters reflect the power of a child’s imagination.
Wonka is based on the character Willy Wonka and shows Wonka’s ideas and determination to change the world, showing that the best ideas begin with a dream.
“There will also be a food booth that will be serving hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, candy and soda,” says Portsmouth. “Both movies offer families the chance to connect with other families in the area as well as open the conversation for parents and children about topics such as imagination and making changes in the world.”
Portsmouth says she’s unsure that this will become an annual event because there are a number of factors that have to align to bring it to Falher.
She urges families to take advantage of the movie night.
“We wanted to make the event as central as possible to enable as many as possible to attend,” she says of the location. “We appreciate the Town of Falher’s willingness to accommodate our Movie in the Park and for working with us to make this possible.”
Although there is no cost to attend the movie, the food booth will act as a fundraiser for FCSS programming. People are welcome to bring their own snacks or picnic if they do not want to purchase from the food booth.
“Both movies are PG rated so parents should use their own discretion for younger children,” says Portsmouth. “Parents must accompany their children as there is no supervision for children and disruptive youth will be asked to leave.”
This event will be the last of the Smoky River FCSS summer programs, but Portsmouth says they will also be participating in Cultural Days, which is being spearheaded by ACFA.