SIERRA VISTA - It isn't often you can play Frisbee while watching movies on a big screen.

Cox Movies in the Park will begin Saturday at Veterans' Memorial Park, and families are encouraged to bring what they normally take to the park, except for pets, said Tim Cervantes, director of systems operation for Cox in Southern Arizona.

That means lawn chairs, coolers, picnics, snacks and blankets are encouraged, Cervantes said.

"We'd love people to picnic and bring snacks," said Megan Sneary, culture and leisure supervisor for Parks and Leisure Services. "Stop by some place on the way or bring something from home."

Parks and Leisure Services is planning activities for people before the movies begin, including karaoke, dance contests and video games on the big screen.

Rock wall climbing in the park is being planned for this Saturday prior to a screening of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for Adventure Night. It's a fitting time to see the 1981 film as rumors of a fourth Indiana Jones movie continue, Sneary said.

Cervantes said Movies in the Park is a good substitute for a lack of drive-in movie theaters in Cochise County.

"It's just good, clean fun," he said.

But don't expect a typical movie-going experience.

"When you're throwing a Frisbee around and the kids are running around, the screen is so big and the sound is so good that it doesn't interfere at all," Cervantes said.

"It should be a lot of fun for families and people of all ages," Sneary added.

There's a Retro Night featuring "Ghostbusters" and "Top Gun", which should appeal to Generation X, and there's a "Shrek" double feature night to appeal to their kids, Sneary said.

"It's exciting for them to see it on the big screen again or for the first time," she said.

This is the first time Cox has partnered with the city of Sierra Vista for Movies in the Park, but the company has brought the event to Benson, Willcox, Tombstone and Douglas in recent years.

Although Cox began Movies in the Park by projecting films onto a bed sheet, a 25-foot screen will be used at Veterans' Memorial Park, said Michael Dunne, director of media relations for Cox in Southern Arizona.

There also will be some limited free giveaways, including sodas, water and snacks, and the Cox Road Show truck could also be at some of the events, Cervantes said.

Schedule of events

With the Cox Movies in the Park, events will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the movies will begin at sundown, sometime between about 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

€ Saturday - Adventure Night!: Screening of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and a rock climbing wall

€ June 23 - Shrek Double Trouble: Double feature of "Shrek" and "Shrek II" and audience karaoke

€ July 14 - Grease is the Motion: Screening of "Grease" and an audience dance contest

€ July 28 - Retro Night Double Feature: Double feature of "Ghostbusters" and "Top Gun" and big screen video game challenge