By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Christmas festivities continue in Worcester County, with a series of drive-in movies scattered throughout the area this month.

The Worcester County Recreation and Parks Department is hosting four nights of Movies under the Stars with showings of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Elf” as a drive-in movie experience. The organization’s website notes that the films will be displayed on a “giant, outdoor screen.”

Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” will be presented on Friday, Dec. 6, at Newtown Park in Pocomoke and on Friday, Dec. 13, at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex in Berlin. Residents can catch Will Ferrell in “Elf” on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Snow Hill’s John Walter Smith Park and on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Showell Elementary School in Ocean Pines. Parking will open at 6 p.m. The movie will begin at 7 p.m. Courtesy of Aetna Better Health of Maryland and Eastern Shore Kettle Korn, the first 20 cars will receive a free bag of popcorn.

According to Worcester County Recreation and Parks Special Event and Marketing Manager Ryan Nellans, the Movie Under the Stars initiative expands on the existing Holiday Drive-In Movie events. Worcester County Recreation and Parks Deputy Director Jacob Stephens added that the group has hosted drive-in movies since the winter of 2019, and this year’s film schedule is an evolution of that program.

“This is our first year providing movies at our four largest parks to better serve the entire county,” Nellans said.

Stephens said the Recreation and Parks Department anticipates 150 cars at each show. The organization’s special event and marketing manager noted that the group hopes the movie nights offer family-friendly holiday fun.

“Just because the sun goes down doesn’t mean that the day is over, and anyone with kiddos loose in the house knows that’s the truth,” Nellens said. “We want to provide a fun family experience in a safe, community-oriented environment.”

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a family musical that premiered in 1993 and was produced and created by Tim Burton, a filmmaker known for gothic horror and fantasy films. “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell, is a comedy that appeals to kids and adults alike.

Nellans maintained that these movies were chosen for their cheery and upbeat messages.

“[The movies] are fantastic holiday films in their own right,” he said. “Both touch on the importance of friends and family. They reinforce how important it is that we are able to rely on each other and the magic of sharing the things we love – old and new – with the people we love.”

The movie nights are free and open to the entire Worcester County community. The event is sponsored by Aetna Better Health of Maryland and is in partnership with the Worcester County Public Library.