When Ellen Litt and Patty Flowers organized Plain City’s first “Music in the Park,” they never dreamed 300 people would show up for the first concert. Four years later, the public’s enthusiasm for the summer series remains high.
“Every year, I have people come up to me in the grocery store and ask me what we have planned and when it’s going to start,” said Flowers, pastor of Abundant Life Fellowship, which co-sponsors the program with the Village of Plain City. All concerts take place at the gazebo at the Route 42 entrance to Pastime Park.
This year, Flowers’ answer to those inquiries is a little different. Not only will there be music, but outdoor movies are planned, too.
“Our fellowship has some new equipment, and we thought it would be fun to put up a sheet, put in a DVD, and show movies outside at the park,” Flowers said.
The movie selections hail from the 1950s and early 1960s. The classic titles tie in well with one of the bands on the schedule, Jim Doycheff Productions, a lively group dedicated to the poodle-skirt era of music.
“People can bring their own popcorn, pop, lawn chairs and blankets,” Flowers said.
The movies are set for 9:30 p.m. to midnight on Friday nights. The concerts will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday nights. The schedule is as follows:
• June 13—Movie night featuring “State Fair,” a 1955 hit starring Pat Boone and Ann-Margret
• June 15—Concert featuring the Backporch Swing Band, a Reynoldsburg group that specializes in down-home old country music
• June 27—Movie night featuring “Charade,” a 1961 film starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn
• June 29—Concert featuring Jim Doycheff Productions, a Hilliard-based band that gets the crowd up and dancing
• July 6—Concert featuring In The Sight, a group of Cedarville University graduates who play contemporary Christian music
• July 25—Movie night featuring “The Inn of the Sixth Happiness,” a 1957 film starring Ingrid Bergman, Curt Jurgens and Robert Donat
• July 27—Concert featuring the Bill Foley Band, a central Ohio trio that plays easy-listening tunes by John Denver, Neil Diamond and the like.
Admission to the concerts and movies are free. Donations are accepted for the “Music in the Park” fund.
