ASUI will continue to provide weekly entertainment this summer with “Screen on the Green” movies on the Theophilus Tower lawn and noontime concerts in the Idaho Commons courtyard.
Kelsie Saxe, ASUI summer student coordinator, is leading summer concert development. She said open-air music and movies are excellent options for everyone spending the next few months in town.
“Summer’s a great time here,” she said. “What better way to spend summer than listening to a concert outside in the sunshine, or…sitting on the lawn and watching a movie? Those just sound ideal to me.”
Saxe said they’ve tried to ensure a variety of films and music artists to benefit the diverse audiences left in the wake of college student migration. The material is all family-appropriate and free of charge, and she said the activities are good get-togethers people can count on every week.
“It is a small town, and these events can bring people from every corner of town and bring them together, and I think that’s really cool,” she said.
Christina Kerns, ASUI student engagement coordinator, said Saxe and her fellow intern Jami Riener–coordinator for the films–have led the team well in outreach to churches, day-care centers and other neighborhood organizations. Kerns said the summer programs are a service for the community and she hopes everyone takes advantage of them.
“Especially with things like (noontime concerts), it’s a really great opportunity for faculty and staff members to take a break during the day, come outside, enjoy the sun…and enjoy some good music,” she said.
Kerns said the singer-songwriter angle seems to work the best for the concerts. The lineup will include country music artists, some pop/rock artists and local marimba band “Sesitshaya Marimba,” an annual staple.
Riener said the evening films are all rated PG-13 and below and will include a blend of new and classic fare, such as How to Train Your Dragon and The Sandlot. This is her first year working the summer programs, and she said she appreciated having the films last year. They provide a fun alternative to the bar scene, she said.
“It offers people something to do on Thursday nights, especially if you’re under 21 and you can’t really go out to the bars,” she said. “I’m sure families appreciate it (since) they have their kids for the summer.”
She also said the activities offer a chance to both stay in touch with friends and meet new people, especially for students not connected with the dorms or Greek life.
This is also Saxe’s first year as an intern for the summer programs, and she said she’s learned a lot about an office environment and coordinating with artists and agencies, and it’s been good to provide events for the school and wider Moscow community.
“Working within the university is really cool,” she said. “Getting to work where you go to school and bring artists (has been) an interesting and really rewarding process so far, and I’m really enjoying it.”
Saxe said she hopes the noontime concerts and evening films become a lasting pleasure for everyone.
“They can enhance your summer in Moscow,” she said. “I hope that (people) come out and at least check it out, and then maybe make it a tradition for their summers.”
Stay tuned to the summer programs Facebook page for event times and a list of specific artists and films.
“Screen on the Green” will take place Thursday evenings on the tower lawn. Noontime concerts will be held on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. in the Idaho Commons courtyard.