by LUKE PUTVIN luke.putvin@lynnwoodtimes.com
On August 15, over 75 people gathered at Lynndale Park’s baseball field to watch “A Dog’s Way Home.” The screening of the movie was free to anyone who wanted to attend. Everyone brought blankets, chairs and food. The concession stand that is normally open during baseball games was open for anyone who wanted to buy food.
This is the third year of Lynnwood’s Sandlot Cinema. There was only one movie shown the first year, but three movies were shown last year as well as three movies being shown this year.
“We’re always looking for ways to activate our parks,” said Marielle Harrington, Healthy Communities Coordinator. “It’s not enough to just have parks, it’s events like this and ‘Meet Me at the Park’ that make people want to come back to their parks.”
Harrington has served as the Healthy Communities Coordinator for ten years. “My favorite part about my job is just being in the community and helping people lead healthier lives,” she said. “I hope people walk away having seen a good movie, but I also hope people walk away feeling the importance of being in the park, in nature and outdoors.”
Councilmember George Hurst was at the event. The Lynnwood City Council is trying a new way of reaching out to the public this summer.
“We looked at summer community events and decided we would go out and talk to folks about their concerns,” Hurst said. “This way, we’re reaching out to people instead of just being in our council chambers. We’re going to the people instead of making them come to us.”
City Councilmembers will also be present at future Sandlot Cinemas and the Fair on 44th.
Jeremy Owen, a Lynnwood resident, was among those who attended the event. “My family lives really close,” he said. “We saw some signs and got the brochures, so we knew it was coming. We’ve been to all the ones in the past too.” Owen said his favorite part of the event was the community aspect and getting to see neighbors and having his children get to see friends from school.
Sandlot Cinema continues on August 22 with a showing of Mary Poppins Returns and on August 29 with a showing of Dumbo (2019).
For more information about Healthy Communities Lynnwood, visit HealthyLynnwood.com.
