A different kind of park party: Foley task force sets up to show drive-in movies – SC Times

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Sarah Kocher
St. Cloud Times

Published 3:46 PM EDT Jun 3, 2020

FOLEY — Temporarily, the nearest drive-in movie just got closer to St. Cloud.

The Foley Quality of Life Task Force will host movies on an inflatable screen outside the Foley High School field house a few times throughout the summer, with the potential for more depending on how well the first event goes.

It is a modification of outdoor movies hosted as part of Party in the Park, a Foley summer event.

“Party in the Park in the past years was created to get people together,” Foley Quality of Life Task Force member Melissa Kloss-Lezer said. “These days, it seems like people don’t even know their neighbors anymore, and that was one of the reasons.”

Before the pandemic, the event would feature entertainment, food and mingling with friends and neighbors. Recently, the task force purchased an inflatable screen, and outdoor movies viewed from lawn chairs or blankets became part of the party.

This year, some of those offerings were not possible because of the novel coronavirus and recommendations against gathering in groups, Kloss-Lezer said.

“We just want to do something,” Kloss-Lezer said.

Though Party in the Park is typically a fundraiser for safety signs for the community, this year, the movie nights will be free, and three are planned so far. 

The first movie is “Robin Hood” on June 25. There will be parking attendants to help those at the event maintain spacing. Kloss-Lezer said she is not sure how many vehicles will fit in the lot with distancing.

The event will not allow people to walk in, and asks people to stay in their vehicles. There will not be food or restrooms provided.

Party in the Park typically draws between 150-200 people, Kloss-Lezer estimated. She is hoping the movie nights will bring in even more.

“It sounds like there’s a lot of interested parties,” she said.

Kloss-Lezer said the goal is to give people a place to get out to, and to do so locally.

“Come and enjoy a movie in a parking lot, and it’s just a fun thing to do — gets you out of the house,” she said.

The other two movie nights are July 16 (“Shrek”) and Aug. (“E.T.”). Movies begin at sunset. 

Sarah Kocher is the business reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8799 or skocher@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahAKocher.

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