Cars under the stars gearing up for third season

Ronda Graff/MCFF

It’s hard to imagine sitting outside and watching a movie right now. O.K., it’s not really that hard to picture because we haven’t had a very rough winter in Southwest Nebraska this year.

And with sun setting at 5 p.m. during the winter months, an outdoor movie could start and be over by early evening. Wait, this idea isn’t sounding so bad after all.

But unfortunately, the weather does affect the ability to show a Cars Under the Stars movie at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds.

The outdoor theater has to take a hiatus during the winter months because the projector cannot be used in temperatures below 50 degrees. Even though we have been blessed with spring-like temps during the day most of the winter, the evenings - when it is dark and a movie could be shown - are too cold to roll out the projector for a showing.

Entering its third year, the Youth Change Reaction’s outdoor movie theater uses the winter months to plan for the upcoming movie season. Since it does require planning and effort, the hope is for YCR to host a movie each spring and fall.

While a movie title is still to be selected, YCR is planning for the first movie of the season to be Friday, April 24. The evening will not only include a movie, but maybe corn hole, card games and popcorn.

But the use of Cars Under the Stars is not limited to just the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s youth group. In fact, it is encouraged and designed for others in the community to take advantage of the outdoor theater. One additional movie is already in the planning stages with the McCook Chamber hosting in July.

In 2025, Cars Under the Stars showed four movies throughout the season. But there is the potential to do more.

As the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s youth group, YCR worked for two years to fund-raise, research and help build the outdoor theater. With it now up and running, they would like to see it used as much as possible.

While there is a small fee to use the equipment and a licensing fee to the movie studios to show a film, funds are available to help offset those costs. There are also guidelines for hosting such as selling tickets (not allowed, plus it is hard to cordon off the fairgrounds), publicity (movie studios dictate information) and parking (which YCR can help with).

But Cars Under the Stars is still a great option as a fund-raiser, with a free-will offering at the gate and selling concessions during the movie. The outdoor theater is a perfect option for a business wanting to give back to the community by hosting an evening. Or if a group wants to have a night of entertainment, the movie is a great alternative.

Yes, this is a shameless plug for Cars Under the Stars but none of the organizations involved, MCFF, YCR, Red Willow County Fair Board, benefit financially from the outdoor theater. Rather, we all just want to see it utilized as much as possible because we understand the work that went into making it happen.

The process to get the outdoor movie theater up and running was not a straight line from A to B. There were many hurdles and obstacles to overcome. Along the way, there was even the possibility that it wouldn’t come to fruition.

But the doggedness of the YCR students and their sponsors, especially former McCook teacher Shelly Sehnert, made the project a reality.

And the project has drawn attention state-wide. Students in Columbus are considering a similar project and recently asked for as much information as possible about McCook’s Cars Under the Stars. They probably weren’t looking for nearly a dozen pages of drawings, numbers and timelines, but the complete packet showed how difficult the process was, yet it managed to happen.

All of that information plus a copy of the rental contract and the guidelines to host a movie is available on the MCFF website, mccookfoundation.org

When YCR came up with the idea for Cars Under the Stars in the fall of 2021, they wanted to make an impact in their community. They wanted to build something that would still be around long after they graduated. And they wanted to create something for fellow young people to enjoy - especially when they say there is nothing to do here.

They have done that and the best thing that can happen now is using the outdoor theater as much as possible and utilizing just one of the great assets in our community.