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Reels on Wheels drive-in movie night moving to Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre

“We decided … We would just move it into Town and support some Cochrane people to come and watch a drive-in movie in Cochrane,” Baum said. “We’re excited to have that and excited to bring it closer to home.”
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Guests wait for the Pixar Film Onward to start at the “Movie Under the Stars” event at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre parking lot on Saturday (June 6). (Chelsea Kemp/The Cochrane Eagle)

COCHRANE— A last-minute venue change is bringing the Prairie Toyota Dealers Reels on Wheels Tour to Cochrane Saturday (Aug. 14).

The event was originally scheduled to take place at the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino, but it was forced to switch up locations and will now be held at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.

Ryan Baum, general manager of Cochrane Toyota and Young Professional Rotary Club of Cochrane chair, said the eleventh-hour venue change was necessitated as the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino was no longer able to host the drive-in movie.

The movie will now be taking place Saturday at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre parking lot. Prairie Toyota Dealers is organizing the drive-in movie fundraiser with Cochrane Toyota, in partnership with Fresh Air Cinema, to screen Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. Gates open for the event at 7 p.m. and the movie begins around 9 p.m. Tickets are purchased via donation and can only be accessed from Eventbrite. 

“The only thing that is different is the location,” Baum said. “We want people to be there.”

Baum said 100 per cent of the funds raised during the drive-in will remain in the Cochrane area.

The Young Professionals Rotary Club of Cochrane hosted drive-in movie fundraisers at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre in 2020, Baum said. Based on that experience he recommends bringing lawn chairs or sitting in the bed of a truck for the full cinema experience.

“You might get a little bit of a better view,” he said.

Raya and the Last Dragon marks the second year Reels on Wheels has hosted a drive-in movie in the Cochrane area. Last year the organization showcased Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker at the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino and chose the Iyahrhe Nakoda Food Bank Society as the benefiting charity of the event.  

Baum added it was decided to use the drive-in to raise funds for the Rotary Young Professionals Club of Cochrane’s Emergency Relief Fund instead of the Iyahrhe Nakoda Food Bank Society in Stoney Nakoda because the event is now taking place in Cochrane.

“We decided … We would just move it into town and support some Cochrane people to come and watch a drive-in movie in Cochrane,” Baum said. “We’re excited to have that and excited to bring it closer to home.”

All funds raised for the Young Professional’s Emergency Relief Fund will be redistributed back to the community, Baum said. 

The Relief Fund was established in the second year of operation of the club as a way to generate funds to support those in need of a helping hand in Cochrane. Baum added COVID-19 has created a unique experience because they have seen some organizations find success while others have struggled.

“What we thought we would do is great a fund that would allow people … To maybe have the ability to reach a few more organizations or families,” Baum said. “If there are organizations that are in need they can come to us and we would have those funds generated.”

Application forms for support will be available on the Young Professionals website and can be submitted by those seeking funds to support a cause or organization.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the movie visit eventbrite.ca/e/prairie-toyota-dealers-reels-on-wheels-cochranecanmore-ab-raya-tickets-158004617063/.

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