ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. — The 2017 Outdoor Friday Family Movie Series will resume Friday in Arkansas City with a family-friendly adventure film at the Wilson Park rotunda, 701 N. Summit St.

“Monster Trucks” will kick off the Memorial Day weekend at 7 p.m. The PG-rated film is sponsored by The Stock Exchange Bank and concessions will be provided by Redeemer Lutheran Church.

This action comedy features a young man working at a small-town junkyard who discovers and befriends a strange creature that feeds on the oil being sought by a fracking company.

Four additional movies are planned every other Friday night through July 21, culminating in a sequel event to last year’s very popular showing of “Finding Nemo” and free admission at Paris Park Pool.

All movie nights will begin promptly at 7 p.m. This year’s staggered “every other week” schedule will allow for movies to be postponed until the following Friday in case of inclement weather.

And later this year, the movie series will hit the road for the first time with a special outreach event in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The date, time, location and title of the movie showing are yet to be determined.

A minimum of four movies are planned for this fall, including one in conjunction with the National Night Out kickoff party for the second straight year, for a total of 16 movies to be shown for free in 2017.

“We are so appreciative of the generous sponsors who make these wonderful events possible,” said City Manager Nick Hernandez. “If you are interested in being a sponsor this fall or a nonprofit who would like to serve concessions, please call myself or Andrew Lawson at (620) 441-4415 to discuss pricing options.”

 

The 2015 Outdoor Summer Movie Series was a huge success in the debut season for the new V.J. Wilkins Memorial Stage at the rotunda, with particularly large crowds viewing “Big Hero 6” and “Frozen.”

The projection equipment, sound system and stage all were made possible by a grant received three years ago from the V.J. Wilkins Memorial Foundation, in order to promote arts throughout the city.

A special fall showing of “Inside Out” drew more than 300 people to the rotunda in November 2015, despite colder temperatures. Plans were launched then for more autumn showings in 2016.