Outdoor Movie: Neighborhood Drive In!
Our neighborhood has a friendly contest each summer, to see which family can put together the most fun group event for the least amount of money. It is a great way to get the families together for some seasonal fun. In the past, all kinds of block parties and potlucks have been tried. While those events are all fun, I finally found something that really stood out from the crowd. This year, we were able to win the contest by a landslide – more votes than all of the other families combined! What did we come up with that was such a hit? An outdoor movie night! And, to think, this outdoor event took place in the northeastern part of the country? I’m sure that nobody would expect to have an outdoor movie in Syracuse, New York. We have to cherish the summer nights in these parts, and any outdoor event is usually quite welcome.
It was easy to find a family-friendly flick and play it outdoors – using a rented projector and shining it right on a regular bed sheet hung on the back of the house. It was so easy, and so cheap, I think it is sure to become a regular event – definitely more than once a summer.
Renting an outdoor movie projector made it simple to have a super fun neighborhood party. The projector easily connected right to my laptop computer, and, with one click, the movie was playing. No high tech computer skills necessary (which is quite lucky, since I’m not so good with the technical stuff). It was easy to make it look like I was some sort of pro!
My kids loved the outdoor movie night, and have been begging to do the same thing indoors sometime. Projecting the movie on a large wall makes it so much more like a real movie theater – better than any big screen TV I’ve seen. And, because it was so simple and so inexpensive, I’d be willing to do it again any time.