Cars Under the Stars Outdoor Theater Ready for First Show

By RONDA GRAFF

MCFF

McCOOK - Excitement has been building for two years about an outdoor movie theater that was conceived, researched and created by a McCook youth group. With the screen now in place and the projector up and running, “Cars Under the Stars” is set for its first showing Saturday, May 4, at 9 p.m. at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds.

McCook Community Foundation Fund’s youth group, Youth Change Reaction, started working to bring the outdoor theater to McCook in early 2022. With members who have graduated and new members added, YCR continued to work on the project and it is now available for the community.

YCR is made up of McCook High School students from each grade level, who focus on youth-centered projects for their hometown. They have hosted junior high dances, read to elementary students and created Sunshine Baskets for those feeling down. But the group wanted to tackle a large project, something that would last long after they had graduated high school. And Cars Under the Stars outdoor theater project was born.

Located southwest of the grandstands on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, Cars Under the Stars will have its first showing Saturday, May 4 with a Star Wars-themed movie, Stars Wars: The Last Jedi, in recognition of “May the Fourth Be With You”…May the Force Be with You.

Gates will open Saturday at 8:15 p.m. with the movie to start soon after sundown, approximately 9 p.m.

There is no charge to get in, although a free-will offering will be taken.

The public can arrive and stay in their vehicles to watch the movie, but chairs and blankets are also welcome for those wishing to truly sit out under the stars and watch the show.

To celebrate completion of the project, YCR will be handing out free popcorn and drinks to those in attendance. But people are also welcome to bring in their own food and drinks to enjoy while watching the movie.

Cars Under the Stars was developed as a project because the students heard over and over (and perhaps said sometimes themselves) that there is nothing to do in McCook. So they took it upon themselves to make something happen, something for all ages.

The YCR students also wanted to come up with a project that would outlast their time at the high school. YCR actually hosted a drive-in theater more than a decade ago, under the leadership of Gavin Harsh, a YCR member at the time but currently a MCFF member, who brought in a blow-up screen for a one-time showing.

YCR has also hosted “dive-in movies” in the McCook YMCA pool, showing Jaws and Finding Nemo in the past.

So an outdoor theater was not a foreign concept, when YCR member and 2022 MHS grad Tucker Gillespie brought the idea to the group and to the Red Willow County Fair Board, which would eventually take ownership of the screen and projector.

YCR went to work raising more than $70,000 in funding for the project and researching equipment options. Working side-by-side for the next two years with YCR sponsors Shelly Sehnert and Pam Wolford, along with Jiles Bowman at the Red Willow County Fair Grounds, the outdoor theater came to life in mid-April 2024 in anticipation of the first showing in May.

Knowing they wanted to host the first showing at the outdoor theater, YCR would like to see other groups use Cars Under the Start on a regular basis. The outdoor theater equipment and screen is available for rent by other non-profit groups. Because of its location on the fairgrounds with so many entrances and because of licensing fees, ticket fees cannot be collected for the movies but the organizations can charge for food and drinks if they would like.

Bowman and the fair board will oversee the scheduling and leasing of the equipment. While there is no fee to use the equipment thanks to the funds raised by YCR, organizations using the theater will be asked to provide funds for a deposit and cover the licensing fee costs which vary with each movie.

The YCR and MCFF members would like to thank the community for their support, both financial and through encouragement, to make Cars Under the Stars happen. Along with a $20,000 matching challenge grant from MCFF, donations ranged from a few dollars to a $7,500 youth engagement grant from the Nebraska Community Foundation.

The hope is that because of the generosity of the community, Cars Under the Stars will be an asset for McCook and Southwest Nebraska for years to come.

For more information about Cars Under the Stars, including the reservation contract, visit the MCFF website, mccookfoundation.org. And for dates available at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds and to reserve the theater equipment, contact Bowman at rwcfairmanager@gmail.com.

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