EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The East Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department has announced the return of its Concerts and Movies in the Park event series. The series will be held at John Collins Park on select Monday and Friday evenings.
Concerts in the Park will feature local music talent and a variety of musical genres. Movies in the Park will show films for all ages. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. They are also encouraged to arrive early to secure a spot.
“The EGR Parks and Recreation Department is excited to again offer the Concerts and Movies in the Park series to our community,” said Rachel Fiedler, leisure supervisor. “These popular events are made possible with the help of our sponsors, The Brouwers Agency, Auto-Owners Insurance and Friends of the EGR Library. We look forward to another summer of neighbors, friends, and families coming together for great music and fun movies in a unique setting at John Collins Park.”
“Our Concerts and Movies in the Park lineups have something for everyone to enjoy,” said Pam Slater, leisure supervisor. “We invite the community to come out and enjoy beautiful summer evenings along Reeds Lake.”
The Concerts in the Park performances will be held on select Mondays from 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. The lineup of performers can be found below:
- Cordero (June 12)
- Simply in Time (June 19)
- Caitlin Cusack (June 26)
- Austin Benzing (July 10)
- Orchestre Polyphonia (July 17)
- Prior Noon (July 24)
Movies in the Park will be held on select Friday evenings, beginning at sundown. A list of the films can be found below:
- Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (June 9)
- DC League of Super-Pets (July 7)
- Top Gun: Maverick (July 21)
- Shazam! (August 11)
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile follows a family in New York City, whose son becomes friends with a singing crocodile named Lyle. The film stars Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, and Shawn Mendes as the voice of Lyle. It was directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon. The movie is based on the books The House on East 88th Street (1962) and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (1965) by Bernard Waber. Both books were previously adapted into a 1987 animated special as part of the HBO Storybook Musicals series.
DC League of Super-Pets follows Superman’s (John Krasinki) pet dog Krypto (Dwayne Johnson). Just like Superman, Krypto is from the planet Krypton. In the film, Krypto teams up with a shelter dog named Ace (Kevin Hart) to save the captured Justice League from Lex Luthor (Marc Maron) and an evil guinea pig named Lulu (Kate McKinnon). The film was directed by Jared Stern and also stars Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, and Diego Luna.
Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. The film follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), who trains a new group of Top Gun graduates. The movie was directed by Joseph Kosinski and also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Jon Hamm. Val Kilmer also reprised his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky from the first film. Top Gun: Maverick went on to be nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Shazam! follows teenager Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who is chosen by a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) to become Earth’s champion. Whenever Billy says “Shazam,” he turns into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi). The film also shows a reluctant Billy being welcomed into a new foster family. Throughout the film, Billy’s foster brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) helps him learn how to be a superhero. Billy must also face the villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). The film was directed by David F. Sanberg and is set in the DC Extended Universe. A sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, was released in March. Hounsou also appeared as the wizard in the 2022 DCEU film Black Adam.
Concerts and Movies in the Park will be held at John Collins Park. More information on Concerts in the Park can be found here. More information on Movies in the Park can be found here.
