Grab your popcorn and save a seat, Grove City’s annual movie series is back for 2021.
The Grove City Community Outdoor Movie Night series returns this June outside the Grove City Church of the Nazarene, showing family-friendly films each Wednesday night at 8 p.m. from June 23-July 28.
The six-week lineup includes showings of Frozen, The Lion King, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mighty Ducks, Toy Story and Mary Poppins Returns.
Kelly Sutherland, Grove City’s recreation superintendent, says this will be the second consecutive year that the series is shown outside the Naz due to the location’s ability to properly social distance. While each film was reduced to a drive-in capacity in 2020, this year’s events will offer in-car viewing, seating on grass areas and family pods – an area for families to sit together six-feet apart from other pods.
On average, the first few showings can attract about 200-300 people, Sutherland says.
“We expect it to be pretty big since a lot of people are looking to do things with their family, and with an earlier start time than we have ever had to offer in years prior to COVID, … we expect it to be pretty busy,” Sutherland says.
The movie series has been a staple in the Grove City community, occurring annually over the past 20-plus years. Sutherland says it’s a great opportunity for families to convene outside the house.
“It’s something that the families can do, it’s all family-oriented movies, it gets them out and it gives the families something to do during the week,” Sutherland says.
Movies aren’t the only thing to look forward to this summer, though. Sutherland says Grove City is bringing back its summer concert series after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The concert series, which used to take place on the corner of Park Street and Broadway, will come back at a new location this year, transpiring at the Town Center lot across from the police department. It’s scheduled to occur every Friday starting June 25 and go through the month of July.
The Grove City Community Outdoor Movie Night series begins June 23 at 8 p.m. on a screen outside the Naz at 4770 Hoover Rd. The event is free to the public, and tickets are not required.
Trevor Simpson is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
