McHenry Outdoor set to start its season early

LAKEMOOR – After his first foray into an extended season earned rave reviews, the owner of the McHenry Outdoor Theater is raring to go for his earliest ever season opener – and he’s also planning to pack maximum fun into each and every week of the traditional and extended seasons.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” will kick things off March 22, weeks before the typical May opening for the outdoor theater at Chapel Hill and Lincoln roads just east of McHenry. There also will be a lead-in film with the title yet to be determined.

”We’re in great shape,” owner Scott Dehn said in a news release. “We’ll be open that whole week of spring break and then Fridays and Saturdays only until Memorial Day weekend, when we go back to seven days a week for the summer.”

Dehn said he is excited not only to welcome back moviegoers who embraced the extended season last year, but also to launch several special events and contests that will keep momentum building.

Among them will be a contest providing a multifaceted date-night package for one lucky couple each month throughout the season, which this year will run from late March through mid-December.

The winners receive dinner at a local restaurant and a pair of passes to the Volo Museum, plus a VIP night at the McHenry Outdoor Theater where they’ll have special parking, seating in the back of the Outdoor’s decked-out pickup truck, candles, champagne, flowers and free food and snacks from the Bremer Team Taphouse and Snack Bar.

Those interested should watch the McHenry Outdoor Theater and the Bremer Team – Keller Williams Success Realty Facebook pages for trivia question prompts.

Also in the planning stage is a partnership between the Outdoor, Worldwide Traveler and the Bremer Team to award a lucky family of four a trip to Universal Studios in Florida, complete with airfare and lodging. Dehn said more details about this contest will be upcoming. He said the prize will be awarded during a special celebration at the end of the 2024 season.

”These are just a couple of the extras we have in the works,” Dehn said. “I’m really happy. One of my goals this year was to get more involved with more area businesses and it’s shaping up really nicely.”

Extending the season both last fall and this spring was made possible by a partnership between the Outdoor and the Bremer Team, which will continue to sponsor free popcorn on Monday nights this season, as well as $14-per-carload Thursdays.

On opening weekend, the Bremer Team will host an Easter egg hunt. The event is for children ages 3 to 10 and will take place from 4 to 8 p.m., followed by the movie “Hop,” on March 24 at the Outdoor.

There is no fee to attend the hunt, but donations for Kids in Need of McHenry County will be accepted. A sign-up form for interested families is located on the Facebook event page — facebook.com/events/1756563681520882.

Theater admission ticket prices for 2024 will remain $14 for adults and $8 for military, those 60 and older and children ages 3 to 11. The $14-per-carload deal will be available both Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the Bremer Team sponsoring the latter. Those younger than 3 are admitted free.

Those interested in season passes should visit www.goldenagecinemas.com.