SWIFT CURRENT — Residents looking to relive their childhood can enjoy a morning of classic cartoons and cereal at the Lyric Theatre on Saturday.
The Lyric is hosting a Saturday Morning Cartoons event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering a nostalgic experience inspired by the days when families gathered around the television to watch cartoons over breakfast.
The July 11 event is being organized by Kevin Kirkpatrick, film committee chair and a director with the Southwest Cultural Development Group, the organization that operates the Lyric Theatre. The concept has been tried in cities such as Calgary and Saskatoon, and organizers hope local residents will embrace the cross-generational activity.
The drop-in event is open to all ages, with admission by donation.
“With Market Square happening just down the street, it felt like a great opportunity to create something casual and nostalgic where families, kids or really anyone could drop in, grab some cereal, watch a few cartoons and stay for as long or as little as they like,” said Kirkpatrick.
While organizers are keeping the cartoon lineup a surprise, Kirkpatrick mentioned, “I don’t want to give away too much because I think the surprise is part of the fun, but people can expect a mix of family-friendly Canadian cartoons from the ’90s and 2000s."
The event will also feature a cereal bar where patrons can choose from a variety of sugary and sugar-free cereals, along with regular and dairy-free milk options.
“We want to capture the full Saturday morning experience, but we’ll make sure there’s something for everyone,” said Kirkpatrick.
Part of the inspiration comes from the cinema matinees of decades past, when audiences could spend an afternoon at the theatre enjoying a rotating program of cartoons, short films, serials and newsreels.
“We wanted to combine a little bit of that tradition with the nostalgia of Saturday morning television from the ’90s and 2000s and that feeling of not necessarily knowing exactly what was coming on next,” said Kirkpatrick.
Adding to the nostalgic atmosphere, organizers will include vintage-style commercial breaks and television bumpers between episodes.
Kirkpatrick said the event is intended to be casual and flexible.
“People can drop in, watch for a while, head back out to Market Square and come back later if they want,” he said. “We’re trying to recreate that sense of the theatre as a place you can simply spend time in, rather than every visit having to revolve around one specific feature or performance.”
Beyond providing a fun family activity, Kirkpatrick hopes the event will help build interest in future film programming at the Lyric. The theatre recently received a large projection screen, creating new opportunities for cinema-related events.
“I’d love to see more film and screen-based ideas happening here, so this is also a fun, low-pressure way for us to experiment a little, learn what works and start building some interest around more cinema programming in the future,” he said.
For Kirkpatrick, the event is also a personal one. Family members will be helping with the program, much as they did when he was a child, making the Saturday morning tradition a full-circle experience.
