Making movies and miracles

• Movie magic

Hundreds of people — adults and kids alike — came out to enjoy a movie under the stars at the annual “Movies in the Park” event at Ojibway Park.
• Creative kids crafts

The “Movies in the Park” event also offered a variety of other fun and creative activities for the kids, including noodle necklaces and bead necklaces.
• Riding the train

Movie-goers wall game together to form the “world’s longest train” with the help of some great music.

Talk about it

It was a night at the movies for Woodbury families on Friday, Aug. 15 at Ojibway Park.

For the second annual “Movies in the Park”, co-sponsored by the Woodbury Parks and Recreation Department, the Woodbury Rotary Club and M & I Bank, hundreds of families gathered together with their blankets and pillows to enjoy “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” under the stars.

“It’s just a great family event,” said Lynne Buchana, a customer service representative from M & I Bank. “It’s just good, old, clean American fun.”

The outdoor movie wasn’t the only family-friendly fun that “Movies in the Park” offered for those in attendance; additionally there were two moon bounces for the kids, creative kids crafts, concessions, face painting, tattoos, a deejay, dancing, and even some performers from the Renaissance Festival who visited with the movie goers.

“This whole thing is just a fun summertime activity,” said Elizabeth Owens, an intern from the Woodbury Parks and Recreations Department. “It gets families together and they get to see their neighbors outside.”

Sue Burroughs came out to the movie with her husband Jeff, and sons Nicholas and Noah for the fun family event because the time to enjoy the weather outside is quickly coming to an end.

“We decided it would be fun for our kids,” she said. “And we get so few days to do this kind of stuff, so we should enjoy them while we can.”

All proceeds from the Movies in the Park event will be donated to the future Jeff Hanson Miracle Field.

The Jeff Hanson Miracle Field, which will be part of the Bielenberg Sports Center, will be a baseball field specially designed to cater to children with mental or physical disabilities. $130,000 must be raised for the project.

“It’s such a great organization and such a great cause,” Owens said. “Hopefully we can start bringing awareness to it.”

Kispert can be reached at akispert@woodburybulletin.com

Tags: local news, movies in the park, ojibway park, parks and recreation, miracle field, crafts, daily updates