2009 Season will be here before you know it!!!!

It's COLD as can be outside and we've all had a touch of cabin fever with this long winter, but Outdoor Cinema Events is thinking Spring and already prepping for movies, music, and fun for the 2009 Season! Our first season was a huge success, and we thank each and every one of you who hosted, sponsored, and attended our events. Without you, well, we wouldn't be here for a second season. Many told us that an outdoor movie business wouldn't thrive in the Riverbend area, and thanks to you all we've proved them wrong!

Our last movie event of the season in October entertained over 500 audience members from the Alton/Godfrey community at Haskell Park...AMAZING! It was truly one of those events where we had to stop to take it all in. People of all ages arrived early to enjoy the music, get popcorn and soda from the concession stand and socialize with their friends and neighbors. Some took the opportunity to relax and sprawl out on the lawn on their blankets, while the kids played and anxiously waited for the movie to start. That night was truly a display of what we hoped Outdoor Cinema Events would encourage in the Riverbend, community togetherness. It was also an example that our community can and will embrace new and exciting activities and traditions for families, friends, and neighbors to enjoy together.

As lifelong residents of the Riverbend it is with great excitement and optimism that we continue to build upon our idea that something as simple as outdoor movies in the park will give everyone something to look forward to weekend after weekend all summer long. I mean it's not everyday you can take your entire family to a show and it's FREE! That's the best part about us, because in these hard economic times it's often difficult to afford the luxury of recreational and leisure activities.

We look forward to an even better 2009 Season and hope that you will continue to support us by turning out at our events this spring and summer. And if you are interested in hosting or sponsoring an event, whether for a private party or business/organization, we hope to hear from you! Once again we are offering low-cost Advertising packages for those wanting to showcase their business on the BIG SCREEN at our events! Give us a call! 618-531-9335

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.