On Saturday, blankets and chairs lined the lawn at the Alamo Children’s Park as residents attended a free movie night, provided in cooperation with Nevada State Parks. The feature presentation was “The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature.”
State Parks have put on free movie nights for five years at Kershaw-Ryan State Park, Panaca, Caliente, and Pioche. They host free movies about three times a year and provide this service for all of Lincoln County. They also show movies for organizations, if asked, and are always open to new ideas.
Jordan Adams, a park ranger from Echo Canyon State Park, planned the movie night in Alamo and had help from Andrew Porter and volunteer Mark Goin, from Kershaw-Ryan State Park.
Ben Johnson, Park Supervisor at Spring Valley State Park, came up with the idea and went to the Lincoln County commissioners to ask if they would fund the purchase of the movie equipment. The proposal was approved and the movie screen, projector, generator, and other equipment were acquired.
State Parks work with a licensing firm to obtain rights to show a movie to the public. The firm has a list of new and old movies to select from and it costs between $350 and $600 per movie, depending on the title. They usually try to show newer ones because people like those more.
All of the money needed to run this event comes from The Nye Communities Coalition grant that focuses on substance abuse prevention. Nye County, Lincoln County, and Nevada State Parks work together to get families outside in a substance-free event where there is no alcohol or tobacco and a family can feel safe.
Andrew Porter, Park Supervisor at Kershaw-Ryan State Park, expressed, “We get a good response from residents and people look forward to it every year. It’s just a neat experience to watch a movie outside under the stars and give the family a nice positive experience.”
Nevada State Parks hope to continue to receive grant money to help make these events possible.
The next free movie in the park will be on May 24 at 8 p.m. at Kershaw-Ryan State Park.
