The Belmont community gathered for a lively evening filled with games, food, and fun as Belmont Parks and Recreation wrapped up its “Movies in the Park” summer event.
“Movies in the Parks” is a tri-annual event that takes place at different parks in Belmont, making it more accessible to different neighborhoods. On Oct. 4, the Disney movie “Encanto” was shown at Barrett Park.
The two movies shown earlier at Twin Pines Park Meadow and Alexander Park were “The Super Mario Bros” and “Matilda.” Belmont Parks and Recreation aimed to bring Belmont residents together and strengthen community connections.
“Getting friends together with the Belmont community through events like ‘Movies in the Parks’ strengthens the town we live in,” said attendee Shannon Wilson.
Patrick Schmitz, a recreation coordinator for the city of Belmont, highlighted that what sets “Movies in the Parks” apart is its accessibility for everyone in the community.
“A lot of the times, costs can be a big factor for families of whether or not they can go to an event,” Schmitz said. “The reason the event started was to give the community more free events to come together and enjoy the games, food, conversation, and our beautiful parks here in Belmont.”
Families agreed that the movement of locations for “Movies in the Parks” made the event easy to get to.
“We live right down the block, so it was easy to just walk on by,” Wilson said.
Additionally, Belmont Parks and Recreation partnered with local organizations to make “Movies in the Parks” as welcoming as possible.
“Our partners are the Footsteps Interact Club, who are providing concessions to raise money for charity. We are also sponsored by Godfather’s Burger Lounge, a local restaurant here in Belmont,” Schmitz said. “We’re always happy to promote local businesses.”
Other partners include Capo Mediterranean Kitchen, which donated gift cards for the raffle, and Xfinity, which brought a 360 photo booth.
Belmont Parks and Recreations attributed the 20 years of success of “Movies in the Parks” to the returning families each year.
“We’ve been going to Movies in the Parks for the last few years,” said Belmont resident Lisa Gradwohl. “We like the movie Encanto, and it’s a good opportunity to get outside and enjoy some fresh air.”
Schmitz agreed that the most rewarding part for him is seeing the smiles of the children as they play games and watch the movie.
Besides community-building, events like “Movies in the Parks” have an even wider impact on Belmont residents.
“It makes people feel responsible to keep the community taken care of,” said attendee Rosemary Bernstein.
