Chelsea youth have two more nights of SRSLY Cinema — The Sound of Music on Thursday, Aug. 16, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins on Thursday, Aug. 30.
However, the program needs parents and other adults step up to help out, or this could be the end of free, outdoor movie nights in Chelsea, according to a press release from the group.
Now in the fourth year, SRSLY Cinema, is a fun, substance-free event that’s in danger of ending because of a lack of volunteers, the release states. Fully-funded by local sponsors, SRSLY is not looking for more donations, just more adult volunteers.
Every week more than 200 teens and “tweens” come to SRSLY Cinema to hang out with friends and enjoy the movies. Unfortunately, many of these kids are showing up without their parents, creating an unsafe ratio of kids to adults, the press release states.
Furthermore, when SRSLY Cinema is cancelled due to rain or lightning, teens are hanging out in the movie area without any adult supervision.
McKinley, Inc. has generously allowed SRSLY to host this event on their property for free, and they want to continue to do so. But with so many kids, and so few adults, some seemingly innocent horseplay has caused some serious property damage, and McKinley cannot afford to replace tables, chairs, lights, or pieces of the fountain every week.
Parents should attend movies with their kids whenever possible, and in the event of a cancellation, they should not let their children hang out at the SRSLY Cinema movie area because it is private property, and if no event is taking place, unaccompanied minors are technically trespassing, the release states.
SRSLY notifies the community of any cancellations via email, posting a message on the SRSLY Chelsea Facebook page, and posting a sign at the movie screen. Parents who would like to be notified by text message of a SRSLY Cinema cancellation can sign up by emailing SRSLY Program Coordinator, Jesse Kauffman ([email protected]), or by calling 734-593-5283.
