Every Saturday this summer, the grass of the Fairhaven Village Green will fill with music lovers and movie-goers for the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema’s weekly event.
The event, organized by the Fairhaven Association, features a performance from live musicians starting two hours before that week’s film which starts at sunset. A ticket for the event costs $7 for cash and $8 for card payments.
At the July 1 showing, Gabby Wigoda, an Everett resident, attended the event for the first time with her mother. Wigoda said the two were eating ice cream across the street from the Village Green at Edaleen Dairy last Saturday when she heard a band playing. The two looked into the event to see “Top Gun: Maverick” was playing that coming Saturday and made plans to attend.
“It’s great. It gets me up here to see my parents,” said Wigoda, who drove from Everett earlier that day. Wigoda and her mother said that they plan on attending the event throughout the summer.
This summer’s movie theme is “perfect pairings.” The movies of back-to-back weeks are meant to go together, whether that be sequels or two films that match a theme, explained Heather Carter, the executive director of the Fairhaven Association.
“We want to offer a variety,” Carter said. “We want to offer some newer movies, we want to offer some family movies.”
The upcoming pairing is “Finding Nemo” on July 8, followed by “Mamma Mia” on July 15. The Song Wranglers and Quickdraw String Band are the musical entertainment for each respective week. These will be the third and fourth events of the summer.
Sticking with tradition, each year’s 10-week summer series closes with “The Princess Bride.” This year is no different, with the event ending on August 26 on its signature finale.
Lauren Woodsmansee, the community recreation supervisor of Bellingham Parks and Recreation, called the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema a “wonderful, wonderful series. It’s one of Bellingham’s most well-attended events by our community.”
Lindy Jewell, a school secretary, attended the outdoor movie on July 1 with her daughter. She said it was nice to see people outside of schools and businesses at the community event.
“It’s inexpensive and attainable for families,” Jewell said.
Beverages, candy and popcorn are available to purchase in the Fairhaven Village Green as well.
This summer’s music and movie schedule can be seen on the event’s website.
Milo Whitman (he/him) is a campus reporter for The Front and is planning to major in journalism and minor in film studies. He enjoys playing music, watching movies and sports. You can contact him at milowhitman.thefront@gmail.com.
