A&E

Downtown goes retro Saturday

by Walter Pierce

Downtown Lafayette Unlimited will celebrate yesteryear with an old-fashioned drive-in movie off the 700 block of Jefferson Street Saturday.

The drive-in will be set up facing the Chase building in the lot
catty-corner to Pamplona on Jefferson Street.

Downtown Lafayette Unlimited will celebrate yesteryear with an old-fashioned drive-in movie off the 700 block of Jefferson Street Saturday. The screening of the 1985 Michael J. Fox hit Back to the Future (wink) will take place in the lot at 725 Jefferson near the old federal courthouse and the old City Hall building (the lot where Festival International's Scène Fais Do Do was located last month).

Parking for this smoke-free event - it's part of the Movies in the Parc series, which returns to Parc International on May 25 with a screening of The Neverending Story - is on a first-come, first-served basis. There are limited spots for cars, but there will be ample lawn seating, and J&J Exterminating will spray for mosquitoes before the movie.

"Our Movies in the Parc series grew so much last year, we wanted to try to outdo ourselves this year and try something new," says Kate Durio, DLU's marketing and communications manager. "Why not a drive-in? It's something Lafayette hasn't seen in over 40 years. I haven't been to a drive-in, and it sounds like fun, so let's see if this can work. And what more fitting movie than Back to the Future? It's what we're actually doing with this idea, plus it's a cult classic."

Audio for the movie will be transmitted by speakers for the lawn attendees; those in automobiles will be able to tune into an FM station to hear it. Admission is $2, so there's really no need to hide people in the trunk when entering.

Adds Durio: "If you have children, this is the ideal way to see a movie. It's only $2 per person or free for kids 5 and under. It's smoke-free; you can bring whatever you want and park your car or park your lawn chair and take the whole family out even on the tightest budget."