PHOTOS: Make a night of it at Movies in the Park

It’s officially summer and many parents are looking for fun way to spend time with their youngsters while they are out of school but they don’t have to fork out a chunk of cash in order to find some entertainment. The town of Pahrump is once again sponsoring its annual Movies in the Park initiative, where residents are treated to free, family-oriented films weekly throughout summer vacation.

The 2025 Movies in the Park season started Saturday, May 31 with a showing of a massively popular animated flick, “Despicable Me 4” and continued with more much-loved films on June 7, 14 and 21 with “Wicked”, “The Garfield Movie” and “IF”.

Heading out to check out the scene at Movies in the Park on June 28, the Pahrump Valley Times saw a series of Looney Tunes cartoons playing as families settled in for the evening, laying out blankets, setting out camp chairs and wrangling the excited youngsters before the start of the show. As the twilight gave way to dark, the opening music for the feature film of the night, “Inside Out 2” drew all attention to the big, blow-up movie screen and audiences were drawn into the animated world of 13-year-old Rylie and her personified emotions.

Gary Bouchard is the owner and operator of Entertainment Concepts, which contracts every year with the town to bring Movies in the Park to the community. With the assistance of Pahrump Buildings and Grounds staffer Mindi Smith, Bouchard erects a large inflatable movie screen and operates the projector himself, something he said is more than just a job for him — it’s a passion.

“I’ve been pretty much involved in this my whole life,” Bouchard told the Times. “I’ve been doing this since I was 12 years old. I have always loved projectors and I’ve always been in love with film. That’s what I studied in college; film, radio and television. I enjoy everything about the industry.

“I’ve been doing this for about 20 years and people seem to really like it,” Bouchard continued. “Look how many people are here now! And at the end of the movies, they always applaud. I even had a guy come by and tell me he’s been coming since Movies in the Park started, first with his own kids and now with his grandkids, because they want to have that experience of watching the movies under the stars.”

Movies in the Park takes place at roughly 8:15 p.m. each Saturday through August 2 at Ian Deutch Memorial Park, 1600 Honeysuckle St. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnic snacks but there are no barbecues or fires permitted. A snack bar is also available.

Bouchard can be contacted at 702-525-1585.

For more information on Movies in the Park visit PahrumpNV.gov

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com