It wouldn’t be the summertime without the sublime, eternally enjoyable experience of the outdoor movie! The drive-in movie finds its origins in the 1910s, with this concept being patented in 1933 by New Jersey’s Richard Hollingshead—who actually built the first mini drive-in for his own mom, declaring in the process that outdoor movies were the ideal form of family entertainment.
But in a county where the nearest outdoor cinema is located in Pasco County and a state where only four drive-ins are open and in operation, where can Hernando families find their own ultimate outdoor movie experience?
Brooksville Main Street debuts the Moonlight Movies series on Saturday, June 8th, from 6:30 p.m.-11 p.m. at Hernando Park, 205 E Ft Dade Ave. in downtown Brooksville. This free movie starts at dusk and is being promoted as a community-focused “must-do summer fun date for families.”
Brooksville Main Street is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is also an accredited member of the national Main Street America™ network and Florida Main Street, a division of the Florida Department of State.
Brooksville Main Street is dedicated to revitalizing historic downtown Brooksville, promoting economic development while preserving cultural heritage, and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents and visitors alike. For more information, please visit www.welovebvl.org.
Dawn Triconi, executive director of Brooksville Main Street, is thrilled to bring the outdoor summer cinema experience to the Hernando community.
“Really going back to the old school days of drive-in movie theaters. I loved going to them with the family,” said Triconi. “We just put a fun twist on the events with the cool new name Moonlight Movies!”
Moonlight Movies, Triconi reveals, is being planned in conjunction with the City of Brooksville. “I would like to send out a huge thank you to the City of Brooksville for their partnership with the Moonlight Movie summer series,” she said. “They are extremely supportive of the events Brooksville Main Street produces for the community. We are very thankful!”
It seems fitting that the debut feature in the Moonlight Movies series is CARS, the 2006 Disney and Pixar cartoon classic named the best-animated film at the 2007 Saturn Awards, the Annies, the BAFTA Film Awards, the Critics Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Film Awards, the Kids’ Choice Awards, and the Favorite Family Movie Award by the People’s Choice Awards.
Featuring the classic kid-friendly characters Lightning McQueen and newfound friends Sally, Doc Hudson and Mater, Cars is the story of a popular racecar superstar who, while stranded in a small town, learns the true meaning of life and friendship.
“We started with themes: Drive-In Movies, Summer Nights, and Back to School. The committee brainstormed ideas and came up with the perfect movies!” said Triconi. “So out of those suggestions, we decided on “Cars” for June, “Jaws” for July, and “Back to the Future” for August.”
At the Moonlight Movies showing of “Cars,” families are encouraged to get in on the act—creating their own brightly decorated cardboard race cars to ‘sit-in at the drive-in.’
“The June event is “Cars” themed. We’d love to have the families work on a cardboard cut out of their dream car, decorate and bring it to the event. You can find ‘how-to’ videos online,” said Triconi. “We wanted something fun for the families to do before the event. The car will mark your “spot” for the evening. Hopefully, it will be large enough for the family to sit and watch the show. Families may want to do a monster truck! We’ll have a few fun contests before the movie starts. Of course, it’s not mandatory to make a cardboard car. Blankets, pillows and chairs are welcome! Find a comfy spot on the lawn and enjoy! Just not outside coolers, food or drinks.”
The cardboard cars will compete in a competition to win various prizes, vying for the titles of Best Decorated, Fastest Roadster, or your Favorite Car Friend. “We’re still coming up with some fun ideas. But a few contests will be Best Decorated, Best Roadster, Fastest Speedster, etc. We’ll have some lawn games as well. There will be food trucks and a variety of merchants at Moonlight Movies,” said Triconi. “This event is a great opportunity to come downtown early and walk around-visiting the stores, restaurants and playing in the park!”
And when they’re not sitting in at the drive-in, guests can get up and dance to the music of DJ Shalamar and friends. “I love this idea!” said Triconi.”That’s one of the reasons our Promotions Committee wanted to do the events. We know it’s summer in Florida, but families are still looking for fun things to do together.”
The event is free admission with complimentary downtown parking. Guests can buy food and drink from food trucks, and ice cream vendors, and specialty items from arts and crafts vendors. Guests may bring blankets and chairs; no outside coolers or drinks are permitted.
For more information, visit www.welovebvl.org or visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/brooksvillemainstreet/
