Get Ready for the 2nd Annual Montrose Film Festival

August, the last whole month of summer, is going by way too fast for me. It gives me pause to make more time for the fun things I enjoy doing this time of year. I hope to enjoy a few more beach and pool days, dinners on the outdoor grill and setting a night or two aside to sit under the stars and enjoy an evening movie in the Montrose Shopping Park. How cozy and memorable it is to watch something safe and light with your friends and neighbors together.

A new tradition was started last year by “man about town” Steve Pierce and Tony Smith when they teamed up with the MSPA to bring you another Shopping Park event the whole family can enjoy. This year’s Film Fest is taking place Saturday & Sunday evening, Aug. 26 – 27. This week I will be sharing about our plans for Friday night.

At 6:30 p.m. we will be transported back to the ’60s as we get ready for the screening of “American Graffiti,” the all time American classic that portrays teenage life and the “cruising” and “rock ‘n’ roll” culture of the early ’60s. As a matter of fact, the trailer for the PG film begins with the voice of Wolfman Jack asking, “Where were you in ’62?”

When you join us, we will have plenty of chairs and free, hot popcorn set up at the sight of the old Montrose Theater, in the lot next to Andersen’s Pets. Sonny and his group The Sardo Brothers Band will be performing rock ‘n’ roll from back in the day. Classic cars from the ’50s & ’60s will be cruising Honolulu Avenue. Who knows? You might even get “picked up!” There will be “in seat dining” for those who would like to order dinner from some of our local restaurants.     The CVHS Prom Plus students will be volunteering as your waitresses as you sit and relax.

And now for some movie trivia thanks to my friend Lisa Watters who grew up in La Crescenta and whose husband is the president of Universal Studios, the producer of “American Graffiti.”

All ages will enjoy this film, which was co-written and directed by George Lucas and stars Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss and many other famous faces. Did you know A.G. was based on Lucas’s own teenage years in early 1960s Modesto? He drew on his own experiences as a “nerd” freshman who had bad luck with dating. It was his way of documenting “cruising,” his generation’s way of meeting girls. Since its release, AG has been one of the most profitable movies of all time with an incredible soundtrack of some 40 bestsellers like “At the Hop,” and “Barbara Ann.”

So please, mark your calendars now for a local night of nostalgia and fun. For more info go to www.shopmontrose.com.

  Mary Dawson