Hundreds of people got to enjoy a free Night at the Movies this weekend at Lowe’s in Cornelia. The home improvement store chain sponsored two outdoor movie nights on Saturday and Sunday as a way to give back to the community.
The makeshift drive-in movie theater set up in the store’s parking lot provided a pleasant, socially-distanced event entire families could enjoy. The movies also served as a fundraiser for the company’s small business grant program that supports those affected by COVID-19. While Lowe’s did not charge admission, they did ask guests to donate online to support the grants.
It was an inspired effort that delighted many.
“It was awesome!” said Kim Martin who attended Saturday’s viewing of The Secret Life of Pets. “Thank you so much to Lowe’s! It’s a blessing to have you in the community.”
Every detail was well attended to as Lowe’s provided moviegoers with free snacks and water in buckets that also included masks and hand sanitizer, even a trash bag. Store employees served as ushers and parking lot attendants and saw to it that everything was run in an orderly fashion. Saturday night, they even made rounds during the movie offering free glow sticks to children. The employees, all of whom wore masks, were polite and friendly.
“It was so fun. The snack bucket and the glow stick were an amazing touch!,” said Ashley Boatwright in a post on Now Habersham’s Facebook page.
Cornelia was a rural test market for the company’s Night at the Movies. The event was launched in July in the company’s home base of Charlotte to positive reviews. Cornelia Lowe’s store manager Jeremy Gattis says he’s received nothing but positive response from the local community. “Both nights ran very smoothly,” he says.
Gattis does not yet know how much money was raised locally for the grant program. He won’t have that information for at least a week. But based on the community’s response, Gattis says, “It was a very positive test run for the company. I hope to see more of these events in the future.”
