Movie this Friday, Oct. 10th!

After taking a few weeks off, Outdoor Cinema Events is back to present "Casper" on the BIG SCREEN this Friday night at Haskell Park in Alton! Now that we've hit October, the days are getting shorter so this means a change in the time our movies will start. You can expect the movie will start somewhere between 6:30 and 7pm, which is perfect for all the kiddos wanting to come see their favorite friendly ghost on the big screen. Once again, the "Friends of Haskell" has plans to put on a great event for you, complete with kettle corn popcorn and soda for sale at cheap cheap prices....it's quite the affordable night out for the entire family! We would like to thank Alton Park & Rec, The Bank of Edwardsville, and The Alton Telegraph for sponsoring this event for your community to enjoy! See you there!

Cards vs. Cubs Tonight at The Reagle Beagle

If you're looking for something fun to do on a Wednesday night, or perhaps just somewhere to watch the game, we'll be out at Roper's Reagle Beagle broadcasting the Cardinals/Cubs game on the BIG SCREEN! It doesn't get any better, or bigger, than this....unless of course you're actually AT the game! With plenty of good food and ice cold beer (not to mention crazy Cards fans!) to go around, you're guaranteed to enjoy yourself tonight. Hope to see you out there!

Jimmy Buffett Concert Tonight!

Tonight we will be hosting our second Jimmy Buffett concert of the season at Fischer's Restaurant in Belleville! In making the arrangements with the staff of Fischer's I can tell this is going to be quite the party! Apparently every year they host an outdoor "summer bash" type of event where they get a band, and have food & drinks and it's been a huge success so far every year. This year will be a little different since the entertainment will be a Buffett concert on the big screen for all you Parrot Heads out there! So put on your dancing shoes, and we'll take care of the rest. Oh and don't forget to grab a hawaiian Lei when you get to the party...all Parrot Heads must dress the part!

I'm behind on blogging!

What a crazy summer it's been for us! Between chasing our 10 month-old daughter around, a busy social calendar, and events events events I'm needless to say behind on blogging! To start out, I must share the good news that our August 9th event of The Wizard of Oz at Haskell Park was our biggest audience turnout yet! The park was packed with people of all ages enjoying the snow cones, delicious carmel corn popcorn, soft drinks, and even Wizard of Oz memorabilia for sale by a local dealer. Nothing adds to the perfect movie experience like popcorn & soda! Haskell Park is such a beautiful location, perfect for families and neighbors to gather on a nice summer night. It couldn't have been better, and so we thank those sponsors who made this event happen: Duke Bakery, Hayner Library, and The Friends of Haskell organization. It was a pleasure working with all of you, and we look forward to working with you in the future!

Now, on to another big event of the summer! On August 15th we traveled to the Lake of The Ozarks to put on another event hosted by Marine Max. If you recall they are the same company that hosted us at the Alton Marina in July. When we started this business in April I never thought we would be lucky enough in our first season to show an outdoor movie on the side of a cliff for people watching from the lake on their boats, but yep that's what we did! We started the day by deejaying at 2:00 for all the boaters who came out to relax with their families on the water. Although we were quite far away from our crowd of boaters, we could tell they were having fun as they danced to the music, ate & drank, and the kids even made a mini slip n slide out of a raft. When the sun went down, it was time to relax and unwind with the ever-so-popular classic "The Great Outdoors". Talk about the perfect movie for this crowd and the location! I have many memories of watching The Great Outdoors on my dad's VHS tape at home with the family when I was growing up. To see it on the big screen was awesome! These events we put on really are just as much fun for us as they are for you.

Jimmy Buffet concert was a hit!

This past weekend we did something a little different with the big screen. On Saturday we hosted our first big screen concert for Aquapalooza 2008 at the Alton Marina. What a blast we had! The event kicked off at 2pm with Jay deejaying for the day, with all the Kenny Chesney and Bob Marley tunes to put everyone in a tropical mood...within an hour people even had their dogs wearing Leis! Everyone enjoyed the music, great food provided by Carver's BBQ, and taking tours of the biggest Sea Ray boats we've ever seen! The big event of course was the JIMMY BUFFET CONCERT after dark! Parrotheads all around agreed it was the next best thing to seeing Buffet himself live in concert. The best part was that some watched the show close-up while others preferred to watch from the comfort of their own boat or from a lounge chair on the dock....there wasn't a bad seat in the house! I even caught a glimpse of a few ladies making homemade Margaritas down at the dock to really go all out Buffet-style! By the end of the night we had people asking us when the next concert would be taking place...we think a disco concert would be a real hit! Much thanks to Karen Baker of the Alton Marina, and Teresa Riley of Marine Max for giving us the opportunity to entertain your guests in such a fun way!

Visit www.aquapalooza.com and www.marinemax.com for more information on Aquapalooza!

To host your own movie or concert event contact us at 618-531-9335. We're guaranteed to bring the most unique entertainment to your outdoor party!

Liberty Bank Event Rescheduled to August 1st

Due to rain, the Liberty Bank Surf's Up movie has been rescheduled to August 1st.

THE GOONIES showing this weekend!

This Friday night we're showing another great 80's classic, The Goonies! We will be at Evangelical's field again, which is located on Homer Adams Parkway in Godfrey next to Evangelical Church/School. As always the movie itself will start at dusk (usually this happens around 8:30 or so), but come early for the music to unwind and let the kids run around and play. For a true movie night experience, we have you covered. Popcorn, soda, and popsicles will be sold at our concession stand for only $1 as well as glow necklaces for a dollar and kids LOVE their glownecklaces let me tell you! This night is being hosted by the Alton High School Class of '98 reunion committee. I and a few other of my classmates from '98 thought a movie-night fundraiser would be a great way to raise money for our 10-year reunion, because not only is it benefiting us but it's a lot of fun! Besides the concession proceeds going toward our reunion, we will also be walking around selling 50/50 raffle tickets. Winner takes half the pot, so you can't beat that! We had 125 people at our last movie night, if we have this big of a crowd again that will be quit a prize for the lucky winner!

You know, I never really realized how many people go crazy over The Goonies! I've had several friends tell me how excited they are to come to this movie, and then precede to quote different lines from the movie....yes, 30-year olds excitedly quoting lines from a movie they loved as a kid. For me, it's been some time since I've seen The Goonies so I'm pretty pumped about seeing it on the big screen too. For a lot of parents out there, they'll be showing this movie to their kids for the first time. Watching the kids' reaction is always one of the best parts for me. At a private party we did a couple weekends ago with our friends, we showed a U2 concert. When the screen inflated this little girl was so excited I couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. Whatever it was, it was pure joy! Seeing a kids face light up is always priceless, so now I can add this reason to my list of why I love doing these events. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

YWCA Event had great turnout

Last night we were at Garfield Park in Alton for the YWCA-sponsored family movie night. It turned out to be another great night under the stars! This time about 125 people came out to watch ET on the big screen, another great classic, and all the kids loved it. This crowd, deciding they wanted to arrive early for the free drinks and sub sandwiches, got to set up their chairs and blankets, eat some great food, and listen to some music before the movie started. The kids were all running around having a great time, and moms and dads were sitting and talking with their friends and neighbors. That's the best part of these Friday night events. Mom and dad are tired after a long work week, and so bringing them out to see a free movie at the park is the perfect way to give your kids something to do and lets you relax too! Not to mention, it's a cheap night out!

Thanks to Kristen and all the YWCA staff for hosting a movie night with us, we look forward to the next one with you this summer!

For those who haven't yet received one of our schedules, we will be at Evangelical again next weekend. Friday, June 27th The Alton High Class of '98 is holding a movie fundraiser. Admission to the movie itself is FREE, and all proceeds from the concession stand (popcorn, soda, and glownecklaces for $1) will go to the class! We will also be doing a 50/50 raffle, so come on out and take a chance at winning some big bucks! Oh by the way, we're showing one of everyone's all time favorites...."THE GOONIES"!!!!

For those not familiar with Evangelical, it is located at 1212 W Homer Adams Parkway in Godfrey. You go past the Godfrey Schnucks, and you'll see it on the right. You won't miss the big screen!

Opening weekend was a hit!

So we decided not to let a little rain stop us, so last Friday we continued on and had our first public movie showing in the Riverbend at Evangelical church in Godfrey. As always, admission to the movie was free and this time we decided to sell popcorn, soda, and glownecklaces all for only $1 which was a huge hit especially with the kids! There were approximately 70 people who came out to watch "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!", which is such a cute and funny movie by the way. If you didn't make it out to see it on the big screen, we just might have to show it again for the 2009 Season. It was so good everyone clapped when it was over!

Can't wait to see all of you again at the next one!

Piasa Winery event this weekend POSTPONED

Unfortunately due to mother nature Grafton is seeing rising waters, which means they are being forced to postpone the movie scheduled for this weekend, June 14th. Check back for a rescheduled date, which will likely be at the end of this summer. Their event planned for July 11th is still scheduled at this time.

The event planned for this Friday, June 13th, at Evangelical in Godfrey is still taking place. See you there!

Father's Day Weekend kicks off our season!

This Friday, June 13th, marks the kick-off of the brand new outdoor movie series in the Riverbend. Join us at Evangelical (near the baseball diamond) in Godfrey for a relaxing night under the stars to watch the newly released "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!" starring the ever-so-funny Jim Carrey. With this event being FREE ADMISSION, and POPCORN, SODA, AND GLOW NECKLACES for the kids at only $1 we can't think of a better (or cheaper) way to spend a night out with the family! Dads all over are getting a special treat this Father's Day!

If you're looking for a night out with adults, we've got you covered there too! The following night, June 14th, is the start of Piasa Winery's "Movies On The Mississipi" located in Grafton, IL. Come relax and unwind with some of the areas finest wines while enjoying the film "Sideways", one of the most entertaining "wine-themed" movies ever made! What a great way to spend a romantic night out for two or get your friends together to do something totally different and new on a Saturday night.....if you love wine and movies this is your night!

As lifelong residents of the Alton/Godfrey community, we are more than excited to bring this new entertainment to our area! Not only are you coming out to watch some of the best movies of all-time, you'll be spending a fabulous summer night with your friends, family, neighbors, and community! All movies start at dusk, so arrive early to get your snacks and a good seat and DON'T FORGET YOUR LAWN CHAIR AND BLANKETS! Can't wait to see you there!

**INCLEMENT WEATHER PLAN*** In the event of rain there is a possibility that an event may need to be rescheduled. Please check our schedule, where we will post any event cancellations along with a rescheduled date by 3pm on the day of the scheduled event.

Outdoor Cinema heads to Kansas City!

On June 7th we will be participating in "Bill Self's Basketball Boogie" at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Missouri!  This event is aiming to raise $1 million for the Assists Foundation, a non profit organization for youth and community development. Ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet members of the KU Basketball Team, and enjoy an on-stage performance by  Country music group Sawyer Brown with live viewing on our screen!  We're very excited to help out with such a great cause!  For more information or tickets visit www.billsbasketballboogie.org.  

Time for The Big Screen - Call 618-531-9335 to Book Your Event Today!!!

From classics like Indiana Jones, The Goonies, The Karate Kid, Field of Dreams, and Back to the Future to newer releases like Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and Talladega Nights, the options are endless.

We are happy to offer this new event opportunity in the Riverbend area!

How we got started...

Outdoor Cinema Events was started with the idea of community in mind. Located in Godfrey, Illinois, we service all areas of the Riverbend community. We are a family owned and operated business by Stephanie and Jay Sinclair. Our need to connect with our community and support family entertainment and recreation as well as our strong desire to give back to our community is what launched our business.

Our goal is to provide fun community events throughout the year free of charge. We are currently creating various "Movie Night" events where the community can gather on a regular basis in different locations in the Riverbend area. Please check back as we add new events to our blog and website, www.outdoorcinemaevents.com.

Our ultimate desire is to establish an on going tradition in the Riverbend area and surrounding communities for everyone to enjoy year after year.

Sponsor and Advertise with Us...

Sponsorships and advertising will enable us to offer more events throughout the year to our community free of charge.

This is a great opportunity for any business owner who wants to enhance and spotlight their business to a live target clientele.

It shows community support and gives the opportunity to associate your business with fun, annual events which will increase awareness and revenue for your business!

Call us today at 618-531-9335 to find out more about getting involved with our events!!!