Listen up all you scary B-movie buffs out there — downtown Kennesaw is featuring a free drive-in movie event in Depot Park on the three consecutive Friday nights leading up to Halloween.
“Friday Night Frights” will feature three movies: “Plan 9 From Outer Space” on Oct. 14, “Little Shop of Horrors” on Oct. 21 and “Night of the Living Dead” on Oct. 28.
Gary Hasty, the coordinator for the event, is on the Kennesaw Downtown Development Authority and helped choose the movies.
“The first one is probably the worst space movie ever,” Hasty said. “The second is just a classic and hilarious. Then, for before Halloween, ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is just perfect.”
The event kicks off each night at around 7:30 p.m. with carnival-style entertainment. The last night of the event, Oct. 28, will also feature Genki Genki Panic, an instrumental horror surf band. Food and drinks will be available for purchase, with options from The Nest and Trackside Grill, but attendees are allowed to bring their own coolers as well.
Each movie will be played on a 29-foot screen and will begin after sundown around 8:15 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs to relax on and to arrive around 7 p.m. to find a good spot to settle down and enjoy the pre-show entertainment.
Lawn parking will be available at Depot Park, but there is plenty of other parking available in downtown Kennesaw within walking distance.
Hasty believes downtown Kennesaw needs to become an entertainment district.
“I moved to Kennesaw, and I’d always done these kinds of things before,” Hasty said. “This is really just an experiment to see if something like this is viable in downtown.”
Downtown Kennesaw’s Burnt Hickory Brewery and Dry County Brewing are two sponsors for the event, which will benefit Must Ministries.
“We’re trying to get people to come out to Kennesaw, but it’s also a good cause for Must Ministries,” said Trey Sinclair, co-owner of Dry Country Brewing. “We want to partner with as many local charity events as possible. I live in the area and a big part of our business is to give back to the community as much as possible.”
Dry County Brewing is located about a mile from downtown Kennesaw, so it’s not a far walk from the event. The brewery’s tasting room is open from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on each night of the event, and students over the age of 21 with a valid student ID are offered a discounted price of $10 to get in.
While the event is free to attend, non-perishable food donations for Must Ministries are greatly appreciated.
“The groups running this event have sponsored us before,” said Kaye Cagle, the vice president of marketing for Must Ministries. “They’ve supported us for a long time. We are grateful for everything we get, but the most difficult things for us to get are items that are more expensive than others. Canned meat is our number one need because what we need most is protein.”
With three opportunities to support a good cause and enjoy the autumn weather with food, drinks and free entertainment, what’s not to love?
