Smoky skies give way over the weekend to Cars Under The Stars
EMRY DINMAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 1 month AGO
On Saturday, as the sun set on Moses Lake, the Grant County Fairgrounds presented a viewing of "Tommy Boy" during the third week of Cars Under The Stars. Though it's a new event being tested during the pandemic, organizers hope that the event may become a staple of the fairgrounds if it receives enough community support.
Minutes before the movie started Saturday night, attendees were still going to concession stands to get their snacks and, in this case, shaved ice.
While many enjoyed watching movies in their vehicles, others set up chairs in their truck beds or next to their vehicles so they could kick back and relax.
From left: Valerie Cole, Lauren Chamberlain, Hallie Cole, Shelby Cole and Natalie Cole settle in to watch “Dirty Dancing” at Cars Under the Stars at the Grant County Fairgrounds on Sept. 5.
MOSES LAKE — After two consecutive viewings were rescheduled due to oppressive wildfire smoke, the Grant County Fairgrounds’ Cars Under The Stars drive-in event was able to present two movies this weekend under a clear sky that was, in fact, filled with visible stars.
On Friday, with smoke already dispersing and only barely lingering on the horizon, the fairgrounds presented Will Ferrell’s classic race car comedy, “Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” On Saturday, with stars in the sky and no smoke in the air, organizers presented “Tommy Boy,” the mid-’90s adventure comedy starring Chris Farley and David Spade.
It was the third week of an experimental event that already has sponsors through Halloween weekend, in what fairgrounds event coordinator Darci Armstrong said may become a staple in years to come.
“I have always wanted to do it, even before the pandemic, and originally I had wanted to do it the way they do it with Film at the Rocks,” Armstrong said.
A transplant from Colorado, Armstrong said she was inspired by drive-in theater events hosted for years now at the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre near Denver, which brings in a band to play before the drive-in movie begins, she said in an interview. Though live music still isn’t allowed under state guidelines, organizers would like to bring in local bands to open the shows if similar events are held in the future, Armstrong said.
Still, the drive-in event has thus far received a lot of positive feedback, Armstrong said, with small crowds gathering each week in the parking lot past the fairgrounds’ Purple Gate to share a movie together, while also keeping their distance during the pandemic.
While many watched from inside their cars this weekend, tuning in to a radio station to catch the movie’s audio, others wrapped themselves up in light blankets and set up chairs or loungers in their trunks or truck beds, settling down with a treat from Tropical Sno Shave Ice or a warm snack from Top Gun concessions.
Returning moviegoers or newcomers to Cars Under The Stars still have over a month to see a show, including next weekend’s viewings of “A League Of Their Own” on Thursday, “Rocky” on Friday, and “8 Seconds” on Saturday. Rescheduled viewings of “The Breakfast Club” and “Bridesmaids” will be presented Oct. 2 and 3, respectively.
Scheduled events run up to Halloween weekend, which will include a viewing presented by Columbia Basin Allied Arts and Midway Beverage, combining the classic pastime of drive-in theaters with a relic of the moving pictures of old: silent films scored by live music. On the Friday before Halloween, the big screen will livestream a cellist’s performance accompanying the 1922 production of “Nosferatu.”
That performance will be followed up with a double feature on Halloween day, though the exact movies will likely be decided by a poll, Armstrong said.
The events have only been possible due to sponsors in the community, Armstrong added, including Weinstein Beverage, Windermere K2 Realty, LocalTel, McCain Foods, Northwest Farm Credit Services, and a combined sponsorship with Columbia Basin Allied Arts and Midway Beverage.
The fairgrounds has also been partnering with a number of local nonprofit organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Club, New Hope, Grant County Animal Outreach, and the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, she added. It was important to include as many different organizations from the community as possible, Armstrong said, because any expansion of the fairgrounds’ repertoire will need community support.
“We are so much bigger than just the fair,” she said. “There are so many opportunities for us at the fairgrounds to offer to the county and the community. We want to do that, but we need (the community’s) help, and we need their support as we branch out into other opportunities.”
While Armstrong is hopeful that Cars Under The Stars will become a regular event, it’s not the only one she’d like to incorporate into what the fairgrounds hosts each year, she said. While she already has a few others in mind, Armstrong continued, she invites members of the community to reach out with suggestions or to look at organizing an event with the fairgrounds at darmstrong@grantcountywa.gov.
“We’re trying to be a community gathering place,” Armstrong said. “I truly think that we have a huge opportunity at the fairgrounds.”
