KANNAPOLIS — The children of Kannapolis will have multiple options this summer for entertainment with the Stories Under the Stars, Village Park Movie Series and discounted Gem Theatre matinees. The first Stories Under the Starts event is this Saturday, April 18.
Stories Under the Stars is a storytelling event held monthly at 7 p.m. at either Kannapolis Library at 850 Mountain Street or Afton Library at 6095 Glenn Afton Boulevard. Families do not have to register for the events, and they are free to attend. Each event invites a theater group to perform popular stories.
Porkchop Productions kicks off the series on April 18 at Kannapolis Library telling “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” The story tells the unlikely partnership between a hardworking ant and a social-media-obsessed grasshopper who become roommates.
On May 16, Story Ship will perform “Diggery’s Dinosaur Adventure” at Afton Library, telling the story of dinosaurs coming back to life in an interactive performance. Sparkpoint Innovations comes to Afton Library on June 13 to perform “Orbit Earth Expo,” teaching children about moon phases and season with giant inflatable planets.
The series returns to the Kannapolis Library on July 18 with B-Rad Kids Magicians who will perform magic tricks to inspire excitement about reading. The final event of the series is at Kannapolis Library on August 15 with Gravity Check, a stunt show with props to cap off the story season.
Beyond Stories Under the Stars, the Village Park Movie Series returns in May with family-friendly movie nights. On May 29 at 8:45 p.m., there will be a screening of “Lilo and Stitch.” The June movie is “Zootopia 2” which will show at 8:45 p.m. on June 12. July has two movies with “How to Train Your Dragon” on July 17 and “Super Mario Brothers Galaxy” on July 31, both at 8:45 p.m.
If those are not enough movies, the Gem Theatre offers $2 matinees from May 26 to Aug. 6 on Tuesday and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. There are children’s movies on the schedule for the whole summer. These tickets can also be reserved for group field trips throughout the summer through Kannapolis Parks and Recreation.