Perry to host outdoor movie night Friday

PERRY — Friday nights are a great time to get together as a family and enjoy a movie, and Perry is helping make that possibility a reality.

The city of Perry will show the family-friendly “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” at Rozar Park Friday, Nov. 17.

“I think we had our first one — I want to say 2015 was our first one,” said Perry Leisure Services Supervisor Nancy Graham. “We try to do it twice a year, like a spring and a fall movie.”

Graham said the movie night started as just another event to introduce to the community to something new. She said the date is set to try to avoid other activities that may compete, such as a football game or other event, so that families can come together to watch a movie.

“We’ve had anywhere from 20 to our highest around 400 or so,” Graham said. “It says in our advertisement to bring their own picnic, blankets and chairs, that way they’re prepared for chilly weather, especially this time of year.”

The forecast is predicting Friday to have a high of 71 and a low of 52 with clear skies; however, after a chilly week so far, movie-goers are advised to be prepared with heavy jackets, blankets and maybe even hot cocoa.

Alcohol is not allowed at the event.

“It’s pretty much no bottles, drinking, alcohol,” Graham said. “Families normally pick up a pizza and bring other snacks and have a meal there at the movies.”

While the city has occasionally sold popcorn, drinks and other snacks, that won’t be available this time around, so people are encouraged to bring their own treats.

It’s usually staff members at the Department of Leisure Services that chose the movie for the night, and they always try to make it a family friendly movie that can be enjoyed by children, teens and parents alike.

“We pick movies to represent the community; something a little for everybody is what we try to do,” Graham said. “What happened on this particular one, it was a movie that Downtown Main Street was going to show, but because of the weather, they were unable to show it. But with the company we work with, you can keep the movie for another time. They were gracious to let us keep the movie, so that’s what we did.”

The movie, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” is a 2016 film written by J.K. Rowling and is an extension of the wizarding world she created with the Harry Potter series.

The movie is based upon Newt Scamander, a “magizoologist,” in 1926 New York City. While listening to a speech, a creature called a Niffler escapes from his magical suitcase.

Scamander tries to recapture the creature, and accidentally swaps suitcases with a no-maj, or a non-magical person, called a muggle, in the books.

The no-maj, Jacob Kowalski, accidentally releases several of the creatures Scamander kept in his suitcase, and then the characters need to try to recapture them. While doing so, the characters also find an Obscurus, a dark, extremely dangerous entity that develops when a magical child suppresses his or her magic, as well as a plot by the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

The movie will be shown at Rozar Park, 1060 Keith Drive, Perry, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. In case of inclement weather the event will be cancelled.

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