After 5: Movies at Founders Park

City officials just released the 16-film schedule for Movies at Founders Park, and the fun begins July 11 with “Wizard of Oz.”

Now in its eighth year, the summer series brings families and couples to downtown Springfield for a unique movie experience under the stars.

“It’s a throwback to the drive-in movie theater,” says Bob Nelson, the series’ lead organizer for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. “You bring your blankets and chairs and sit in downtown Springfield.”

Movies are shown at dusk Fridays and Saturdays through Aug. 30, and tickets are free in advance from participating vendors. Founders Park is located about a block north of Park Central Square at Jefferson Avenue and Water Street.

“The venue is unique in that it sits on the founding site of Springfield,” adds Nelson, who was largely responsible for selecting the films and gaining the licensing approvals.

As series sponsor, Mediacom is helping to defray the nearly $5,000 expense to show the movies. Licensing fees for each film average $300, Nelson says, and Mediacom picked up the tabs for “Wizard of Oz” and “Casablanca” – the first and last shows of the season.

Friday nights are geared toward families – “Shrek the Third,” “Hairspray” and a “Harry Potter” movie – while Saturday titles have date nights in mind, with “P.S. I Love You,” “The Guardian” and a “Pirates of the Caribbean” flick.

Kristen Westerman, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s manager of work force and business development, plans to catch one or two films on the 2008 schedule. She and husband Luke, a quality engineer at SRC Heavy Duty, attended a few Founders Park movies a couple of years ago.

“We both really like movies, and we like the aspect that it’s outside,” she says. “It was more enjoyable. We don’t get outside as much as we’d like.”

While Kristen Westerman comes downtown every day to work, the couple enjoy making the drive from their far southwest Springfield home for weekend activities downtown.

“It’s nice when you can go downtown and do everything all together … to have dinner and drinks,” Westerman adds. “You can walk from place to place.”

The downtown movie series began in 2001, as a collaboration of the Springfield Community Improvement District and the now-defunct Downtown Dining & Entertainment District. Officials launched it after seeing cities across the country attract people to their urban cores with movies shown outdoors.

Nelson says as many as 1,200 people have visited Founders Park during a weekend set.

Movies at Founders Park

When: Fridays and Saturdays, July 11–Aug. 30

Showtime: Movies begin at dusk

Cost: Free with tickets or family four-packs available at the Chesterfield and Doling family centers, Mediacom Ice Park, the Busch Municipal Building and Mediacom offices (1533 S. Enterprise Ave.). At the gate, tickets are $5, except for children ages 5 and under.

The 2008 Lineup

July 11 – “Wizard of Oz” (G)

July 12 – “The Bucket List” (PG-13)

July 18 – “Surf’s Up” (PG)

July 19 – “Definitely, Maybe” (PG-13)

July 25 – “The Last Mimzy” (PG)

July 26 – “Ocean’s Thirteen” (PG-13)

Aug. 1 – “Shrek the Third” (PG)

Aug. 2 – “We Are Marshall” (PG)

Aug. 8 – “The Water Horse: Legends of the Deep” (PG)

Aug. 9 – “The Guardian” (PG-13)

Aug. 15 – “Ratatouille” (G)

Aug. 16 – “P.S. I Love You” (PG-13)

Aug. 22 – “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (PG-13)

Aug. 23 – “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (PG-13)

Aug. 29 – “Hairspray” (PG)

Aug. 30 – “Casablanca” (PG)

More information, including movie descriptions, is posted at www.springfieldmo.gov/founders.

New This Year

• Movie shorts prior to featured film, in partnership with SATO 48 and Missouri Film Alliance

• Hands-on activities for kids, in partnership with Springfield Regional Arts Council and Discovery Center

• On-screen trivia about downtown and Jordan Valley Park