Grab your blankets and lawn chairs. The feeling of a drive-in movie will be in full effect both this week and next, as CNY & Syracuse FunFlicks will show two animated motion pictures on a 30-foot inflatable screen at the amphitheater at Johnson Park.
The initial outdoor movie night with CNY & Syracuse FunFlicks was scheduled for Tuesday, July 23, with a dusk showing of “Wreck-it Ralph,” in which video-game characters take over an arcade at night. In case of rain, the movie would roll on Thursday, July 25.
‘Madagascar 3’ Tuesday
Next week, “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” will be screened at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, with a rain date of Aug. 1. Viewers should bring lawn chairs or blankets.
“We’ve got two great movies,” said CNY & Syracuse FunFlicks owner Timothy Bennett, whose territory ownership includes Central, Northern and Western New York. “These are movies every resident of Liverpool will love, no matter their age. These shows are for families. It’s for moms and dads and kids and aunts and uncles and grandparents.”
And, like the several other events in the park this summer, the movies are free. Candy, popcorn and drinks will be available for sale.
FunFlicks, a nationwide outdoor theater-rental service, has inflatable movie screens that range in sizes from eight feet to 55 feet in high definition. FunFlicks often entertain at birthday parties, fundraisers, video gaming events and are used at display booths at vendor expos. Packages start as low as $299.
During the NCAA’s Final Four in March, CNY & Syracuse FunFlicks partnered with Destiny USA and Verizon and used his company’s 21-foot inflatable screens to show the tournament telecasts in Destiny’s new canyon area as hundreds of SU fans cheered on the Orange.
CNY Spine sponsor
Dr. Martin Schaeffer had friends and family over for a movie night with FunFlicks last month, and instantly fell in love with it. “He wanted to share the experience with the citizens of Liverpool and surrounding areas,” Bennett said, “so his practice [CNY Spine and Pain Medicine, LLC, 7449 Morgan Road] is sponsoring the Johnson Park screenings.”
Bennett believes that movies have the power to bring together people of all backgrounds.
“The Smith, Fernandez, Ciotti, Lee and Jacobson families will come together to watch the movie,” Bennett said. “To see these diverse families who may not know each other greet each other, laugh together and enjoy each other’s company in peace is a beautiful thing. Communities need the feeling of togetherness, and this is a step that we’re taking to bring that feeling to Syracuse.”
For info, visit FunFlicks.com, or call Bennett at 663-5005.
Legion Field Days
American Legion Post 188’s Field Days will transform Washington Park into a tilt-a-whirling amusement park this weekend, July 26, 27 and 28. Families will flock into the park from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, and the rides roll on from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Jazz in Clinton Square
The Northeast Jazz & Wine Fest, presented by CNY Jazz Central whose executive director is Larry Luttinger who lives in Liverpool, gets underway on at 5 p.m. Friday, July 26 in Clinton Square with music by Brownskin at the World Beat Pavilion.
Friday’s headliners include Blowin’ in the Wind at 6:30 p.m. followed by Atlas XXXIII at 8 and 10 p.m.
The festival’s Mardi Gras Tent will feature Dixieland music by the Soda Ash Six (with trombonist Bobby Morris, who also lives in Liverpool) at 5, 7:30 and 9:15 p.m.Friday, and R&B by TrumpTight 315 on Saturday night.
On Saturday afternoon the Stan Colella Parks & Recreation All-Star Band will perform at noon, followed by the annual “Battle of the Community Bands,” emceed by yours truly. Tradewind takes the main stage at 1 p.m., followed by the Jazz Kats at 2 p.m., The Rhythm-Airs at 3 p.m. and the Easy Money Big Band at 4 p.m. The “Battle of the Community Bands” is co-sponsored by Eagle Newspapers.
Philadelphia jazzman Gerald Veasley headlines the festival at 8:15 p.m. Saturday, July 27, and will return to the main stage at 10 p.m. to host an All-Star Super Jam with up-and-coming guitarist Gil Parris.
When the stages close down each night, after-hours jam sessions will draw musicians and fans alike to Jazz Central, at 441. E. Washington St., two blocks east of City Hall.
“Our main-stage artists, student musicians and local pros kick out the jams in a free-for-all that always lasts until close to dawn,” Luttinger said.
The festival is part of Syracuse ArtsWeek, a partnership between the jazz event, a Haudenosaunee Festival in adjacent Hanover Square and the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival in Columbus Circle. For information, call 479-JAZZ, or visit nejazzwinefest.org.
