Movies on the Beach Set to Come to Pere Marquette This Summer

Andrew Trzaska | April 24, 2012

Muskegon County loves outdoor movies.

The Getty 4 Drive-In and the LST-393 currently run films during the warm summer months.  Movies on Pere Marquette beach are close to becoming a reality this June. If successful, it could become a recurring event.

The Movies on the Beach project was a winner of last year’s Love Notes competition sponsored by the Community Foundation for Muskegon County.  Inspired by a lecture last year by Peter Kageyama, the Community Foundation sent out a call to county residents to submit ideas for relatively small events or things that would add value or pride to the community.  Six different projects won, including a literary landmark plaque for Hackley Public Library, and a sculpture honoring the invention of the snowboard in Muskegon County.  Movies on the Beach will be among the first to come to fruition.

Tuesday’s city commission meeting saw the approval of a request by the event’s coordinator Kerry Halloran to extend evening hours for the city-owned Pere Marquette Park. Because the outdoor screenings must start at dusk, the established 11:00 p.m. closing time for the park would likely come before the films being shown were finished.

The extended hours will be granted only for Friday, June 15, which is the first day of what could become a series of nights.  On a prompt from Mayor Steve Warmington, Cathy Brubaker-Clarke, Director of Planning and Economic Development for the city, indicated that city staff may look into making the extended hours apply to only part of the park. Extension of hours for future dates will be decided based on the success of the first screening.  Extension of hours for future dates will be decided based on the success of the first screening.

What film will be shown on June 15 is not yet clear; the Movies on the Beach Facebook page is currently soliciting suggestions for films to show in the summer.  The event is set to be free and is geared toward a general audience.