Summer just got better for kids in the Salamanca community. Family Outdoor Movie Night will take place at Jefferson Street Park every Saturday night through Aug. 30. Showtime begins around 8:45 p.m.

SALAMANCA — Imagine watching a movie on a giant screen in the open air.

Families in the Salamanca community and the surrounding area now have the opportunity to do just that — enjoy free movies with their children this summer.

The Seneca Salamanca Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring Family Outdoor Movie Night at Jefferson Street Park every Saturday through Aug. 30, weather permitting. Showtime begins around sunset at 8:45 p.m.

Hosted by Salamanca resident Jason Nevares, movie night began June 7 when “A Minecraft Movie” was featured on a massive 33-foot screen, and more family-friendly flicks are coming.

The remaining schedule is as follows:

• June 14: “Mufasa: The Lion King”
• June 21: Community Choice Night – The community will have the opportunity to choose from “Moana 2,” “Dog Man,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” or “The Wild Robot” on Facebook.
• June 28: “Snow White” live-action
• July 5: “Toy Story” – Bring your favorite toy.
• July 12: “Sneaks” – DJ J. Lyfe’s special pick of the month.
• July 19: “Captain America: Brave New World” – PG-13 night.
• July 26: “If” – Imagination Day: Bring a drawing of your imaginary friend. Five winners will get a free item from one of the vendors.
• Aug. 2: “The Unbreakable Boy”
• Aug. 9: “Kung Fu Panda 4”
• Aug. 16: “Inside Out 2”
• Aug. 23: “Lilo & Stitch” live-action (If digital release date is out in time)

Nevares said the movies are shown from a high-definition projector on a massive, inflatable projection screen, about two stories high. All the movies are licensed and PG-rated unless otherwise noted. He said most are Disney movies, except for one night in July when there will be a theme night with a PG-13 film.

All children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. Some local food vendors have been invited, but people are allowed to bring their own snacks and beverages. No alcohol — it’s a family-friendly event for children. The event may be canceled due to weather conditions or a city event.

OUTDOOR MOVIE night for the community in the park was the brainchild of Nevares, a.k.a. DJ J. Lyfe, who has owned and operated Destiney Sounds DJ Services for about 20 years. The idea stemmed from several summer nights over the last three or four years, when he and his daughter were outside in their yard watching outdoor movies on their personal screen.

“We started getting people, mostly kids, who were walking by and checking the movie out,” he said. “Some of them asked to come and join us. If their parents said it was OK, we said, ‘Sure, no problem,’ because we were just outside watching a movie.”

Nevares said the idea to host an outdoor movie night for the community in the park popped into his head one night when the kids came by to watch their movie. He thought it was a perfect idea to entertain them where they are safe.

“It motivated me to pursue this,” he said. “A public event would give the community the assurance to know where their kids are, because we’re together enjoying a movie at the park.”

Because of the popularity of the outdoor movies in his yard, Nevares took his proposal to host movies at Jefferson Street Park to the Salamanca Common Council for approval.

“We came up with the idea of having a place where the kids in the community could go for a certain amount of time on specific dates. It would give them something to look forward to and to pretty much keep them away from where we don’t want them,” he said. “Now, we’ll have them at the park enjoying a movie with their family, instead of doing a lot of the bad things that they could, potentially, be doing. It’ll be safe, family fun. That’s the way we brought it up to the city. That was our proposal.”

According to Nevares, City Clerk Tracy Chamberlain advised him to contact the chamber of commerce. He said chamber CEO John Sheehan absolutely fell in love with the idea.

“The outdoor movie night in the park has drawn a lot of attention in the community and many people have become aware and involved in it,” he said. “John and I are both very enthusiastic about this, as well as the community.”

Sheehan said there’s nothing like gathering under the stars for a great movie and great company.

“From our experience hosting films at the Ray Evans Seneca Theater, we know this event will be a hit for the city and the whole surrounding area,” he added.

Nevares said this is the first time outdoor movies have been shown at Jefferson Street Park. He said it’s something they hope to do every summer going forward.

For more information, updates and changes to the schedule, visit Facebook/Salamanca Family Outdoor Movie Night.