Movies on the lawn coming to a park near you

Movies, popcorn and drinks are coming to Riverside Park in Bonita Springs and everyone is invited to come out and enjoy the drive-in movie feel minus the vintage cars.

The Bonita Springs Estero Realtors Association (BEAR) in partnership with the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with the city of Bonita Springs to offer movies on the lawn as part of a new plan to draw visitors to the downtown Bonita area and to the new park.

The first movie is scheduled for Jan. 6.

“We want people to bring lawn chairs and lay out on the grass and enjoy a movie. All the movies are family-friendly,” said Arlene Houston, the city of Bonita Springs spokesperson.

She says the city received a special events application earlier this year asking to play the movies at the park with BEAR and the Chamber bearing the costs of running such an event at the park.

“We have a great band shell and this is the perfect site for movies at night,” Houston said.

The park will allow organizers to offer the movies on a 24-foot screen complete with a sound system and food that will raise funds for the Bonita Assistance Office.

“It’s nice to be able to give something back to the community and this was a chance for us and BEAR to work together to add something to the quality of life in this area,” said Nancy Keefer, the Chamber president.

Adding life to the area was more of the focus for the event.

“Wizard of Oz” has been chosen because it is family-friend and will appeal to all ages.

“We are doing this as a community fundraiser but I have to admit I stole the idea from New York City,” said Cameron Paine, the event's lead organizer and chief operating officer for BEAR.

Paine used to live in Manhattan where movies in the park night that brought out thousands.

“The event was so successful it was all standing room only and people loved it. They dressed up in costumes based on whatever movie was playing like Star Wars,” said Paine, who expects to draw 200 people on the first night.

BEAR and the Chamber will also have a couple of food vendors with 50 percent of the proceeds from food sales going to charity.

City officials say they will bear the cost of security for the event, which is estimated to cost $50 an hour for police officers from the sheriff’s office.

“We will be closing off traffic on Old 41 because of the sound,” Houston said.

BEAR and the Chamber are covering the cost of renting the movie, the speaker system and large screen.

“It will be good fun and a great use of the park and will bring people to downtown Bonita and get them excited about its future,” Keefer said. “We’ve got beautiful weather and we are bringing back the idea of having a drive-in movie theater. It’s all good fun.”