By Khalida Sarwari
The Summer Movie Nights series returns to Saratoga’s El Quito Park on June 20, kicking off with the Disney animated film Frozen.
The Saratoga Parks and Recreation Commission plans to show two more family-friendly movies on the third Friday of every month through August. Admission to all the movies is free.
The July 18 screening will be The Avengers and Aug. 15 will be Despicable Me 2.
According to Mainini Cabute, a public works analyst for the city of Saratoga, the PRC worked collaboratively with the Saratoga Youth Commission to select movies they believed would be appropriate for both younger kids and the pre-teen and teen age group. All the shows are rated PG, except for The Avengers, which carries a PG-13 rating.
Each movie is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. Organizers encourage people to come around an hour prior to the show to enjoy a picnic in the park and entertainment by Dottie the Clown.
Popcorn will be provided, but people are welcome to bring their own food as well as blankets and lawn chairs.
This will be the fourth year that the parks and rec commission has held its Summer Movie Nights series. Previously, it has also been held at Wildwood Park.
Last year’s movies drew an average attendance of anywhere between 150 to 180 people, a figure that the commissioners consider well attended, according to Cabute. The purpose of this event is to build community among the residents of Saratoga, she said.
“The commissioners hope that these events are well attended so that the city can continue the movie events program,” Cabute said. “The city will only offer these programs if the residents show interest and attend.”
The Saratoga City Council allocated about $1,200 to the commission per movie night, the same amount as past years since the program began in September 2010. Saratoga began offering the series as a way to “align with other local cities who were offering a series of movies rather than only one event annually,” according to Cabute.
The Summer Movie Nights movie series will be held June 20, July 18 and Aug. 15 at El Quito Park, 12855 Paseo Presada.
‘Frozen’ kicks things off as Summer Movie Nights begin in El Quito Park
