School is out for the summer and everybody is looking for something fun to start the season. Valparaiso Events debuted their first of five Summer Outdoor Movies events on Tuesday, June 4.
The movies are being held at Central Park Plaza, below the William E. Urschell Pavilion. Jessica Fox, events and social media manager for Valparaiso Events, shares how this event has become a staple for bringing families together in the community.
“Our summer outdoor movie events have become a tradition here in Valpo,” Fox said. “Everybody is always excited because it’s the first big thing we do in the summer with the kids out of school. We put out a poll every year to let the people in the community choose which movies they want to see the most.”
The attendees were treated to Toy Story on the first night. Other showings throughout the summer consist of Wonka, Tangled, The Greatest Showman and The Sandlot.
Typically, Valparaiso Events puts on four movies every summer. However, they decided to incorporate one more week of family fun this year. Along with the showing, there were plenty of activities that kept everyone occupied prior to the film.
“We have a lot of free activities that we provide to attendees," Fox said. “We have face painting, balloon twisting, character drawings and more. We’ve even had bounce houses in the past. We try to do fun things that get the kids involved and can create fun for the entire family.”
One Valparaiso resident that has grown to love these outdoor movie events has been Jo Tudor. She has been to multiple showings over the years with her family and recognizes how Valparaiso Events has made this a tradition they want to be affiliated with every time.
“My granddaughter has always come out to the park events every Tuesday in June,” Tudor said. “We’ve been coming to outdoor movies for about four years now. We always look forward to the events. There are always plenty of good snacks and giveaways to appreciate. They always put on events that are well planned and very organized.”
Tudor is also grateful that the movie selection consists of many of her granddaughter’s favorite films.
“She loves all of the movies that they chose for the summer schedule this year,” Tudor said. “She can't wait to go see every single one of them. Next weekend is going to be Wonka and she’s super excited.”
Another attendee that was looking forward to this event was Cynthia Otano. With this being the first time her family has attended this event, Otano wasn’t sure what to expect. She believes this event is a great way to provide her children with an awesome start to their summer.
“It’s great because I’m able to get out here and enjoy the day with my kids,” Otano said. “They’ve been running around checking everything out. It’s a safe way for us to have a good time and let some of that energy out.”
As this event has become a family tradition for many local residents, Valparaiso Events takes pride in how impactful these moments will be for the kids in the future.
“Our events are something where we want people to be happy to be a part of them,” Fox said. "There are so many happy families here and it’s great to see these little kids creating core memories like this that they can always talk about. It’s an awesome opportunity for us.”
Fox also gave credit to the sponsors and vendors in attendance, noting that these outdoor movie events couldn’t be as successful without their assistance. The remaining films will be shown every Tuesday through July 2.
For more information on Valparaiso Events, you can visit their website.