The Opelika Public Library is hosting a “Hocus Pocus Under The Stars” event on Friday, October 20, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. The event will be a screening of the classic Halloween movie Hocus Pocus and it will take place in the library’s backyard.
Viewers are encouraged to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs, and all age groups are welcome. Free popcorn will also be provided.
Anna Jones, community relations specialist at Opelika Public Library, is ecstatic about the event. She has worked at the library for a year and a half, and they began hosting outdoor movie screenings in the summer of 2023.
She chose Friday the 20th to host “Hocus Pocus Under The Stars” because “Food Truck Friday" starts at 5:30 p.m., so it is the perfect opportunity for the Opelika community to get together for food and a classic spooky season movie.”
Food Truck Friday, which takes place on the first and third Friday of every month in downtown Opelika, is an occasion where the Opelika community gathers to enjoy dinner and drinks at the various breweries, bars and restaurants in downtown Opelika.
The event has up to five food truck partners which vary at different events, making a wide variety of food available to those who attend. The menu for upcoming Food Truck Fridays is accessible on the Facebook page of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce.
The library began hosting movie-watching events in the summer of 2023. These nights have been met with great enthusiasm by families in and near the Opelika area.
Jones recognizes the value of events that bring large groups of people to the library.
“It is a great opportunity for families who may not otherwise come to the library to see the building and hear about other events that we do,” Jones said.
Due to the positive response to the movie screenings at the library this past summer, which included Sandlot and Blues Clues, the Opelika Public Library plans on doing many more in the future in the hopes of further increasing interest in the library within the community.
Their dream is that families attend and are able to learn more about the library’s extensive resources and itinerary of events.
Besides movie nights, other children’s events that will be hosted by the Opelika Public Library in the week leading up to the event include: Pajama Story Time at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, October 16, Movin’ & Groovin’ Story Time at 4:00 p.m on Tuesday, October 17, Baby & Me (an event for infants and caregivers that will have a story and short songs, ending with unstructured play time and discovery time) at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 18, Messy Story Time on Thursday, October 19 at 11:00 a.m. and Family Story Time at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 20.
The Opelika Public Library is a community treasure that prioritizes hosting engaging events to bring the community together in the hopes of sparking a love for reading in the newest generation. Hocus Pocus, a 96-minute-long classic, is the perfect Halloween movie for all age groups to enjoy.
Davis Samuels serves the Opelika Public Library as part of their Youth Services program, a job he has loved for over two years.
“It would be a great time to come out with friends and eat some snacks! Who doesn’t love Hocus Pocus?,” Samuels said.
The staff of the Opelika Public Library hopes to see you this Friday, October 20th at 7:30 p.m. in the backyard for “Hocus Pocus Under The Stars.” Anyone who attends the event is in for a great night with the Opelika community enjoying a classic Halloween movie under the Alabama sky.
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Hayden Hairston, a sophomore in communications with an English minor, is a Culture Writer at the Auburn Plainsman.
