ASBURY, Iowa -- The scent of popcorn mingles with insect repellent; lightning bugs leisurely blink in the nearby field as the evening sky turns from lilac to gray. Asbury Park is adrift in blankets and lawn chairs, ice chest coolers and infant car seats, and people of all sizes, shapes and ages.
It's movie time in Asbury.
Never mind that the community has no cinema houses, these movies are free and they take place in Asbury Park. With playground equipment nearby, it's an appropriate setting for an activity designed with families in mind.
Opening night for Movies in the Park was June 5, with about 200 parents, kids and grandparents showing up.
Asbury resident Traci Segerstrom was on hand with her husband, Jeff, and their 9- and 11-year-old daughters. Comfortable lounging in bag chairs, the Segerstroms were hanging out with neighbors Ken and Jane Kuhle and 2-year-old Lexi. "For a free movie in the park, it was lots of fun," Segerstrom said.
Jane Kuhle agreed. The Kuhles, who moved to Asbury a little more than a year ago, are still getting
next showing "Kung Fu Panda" will be shown Thursday, July 9. Films also will be shown Thursday, Aug. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 6. Start time is sunset. Call Asbury City Hall at 563-556-7106 for more information. |
"It was nice that the kids could just run and have fun and the adults could just have conversations," Kuhle said. "It's fun to get together -- and nobody had to clean up their house."
Relaxed, inexpensive family time with neighbors was the goal the Asbury Parks and Recreation Board had in mind when it began discussing the idea last year, according to board chairman Matt Riesberg.
"We were shooting to get people together," Riesberg said. He added that viewers don't have to be Asbury residents, though.
The movies are provided with assistance from Mindframe Theaters and sponsorship by Premier Bank.
