Published: September 04, 2007 02:13 pm      

Big Screen under the Stars

Corral Theatre a unique and special place for Central Texas

Sometimes we least appreciate that which is close by and readily available.

Like New Yorkers who seldom visit the Statue of Liberty.

Or folks in San Antonio who don’t go to the Alamo.

Or people in Wimberley who never see a movie at the Corral Theater.

The Corral is a unique and special place – is there another permanent outdoor, sit-down movie facility in Texas? Or anywhere else? Certainly not one that’s been around for 60 years, provides free admission to anyone under 4 or over 85, and serves great hot popcorn.

And speaking of New Yorkers, a reporter from the New York Times recently interviewed Mary Anderson, owner of the Corral. Seems he’s doing a piece on Wimberley and thought the theater was one of the community’s star attractions. Mary was happy to talk to the reporter and proud to report she recently upgraded from a 1934 projector to a 1954 projector.

All of which leads me to the question: How long has it been since you’ve been to a show at the Corral?

That can be easily remedied on the evenings of Friday, Sept. 7; Saturday, Sept. 8; and Sunday, Sept. 9. On those days, Arctic Tale will be shown. It’s a G-rated movie featuring wildlife fighting for survival in the Arctic. It focuses on a polar bear and a walrus and their efforts to survive perils brought on by rising temperatures in the coldest place on earth.

It’s a frolicking adventure with many laugh-out-loud sequences, but it also has footage involving life and death struggles on and under the ice. It was made by the same folks who created March of the Penguins and the New York Times calls it “stunning.” For more information, check out arctictalemovie.com.

Remember, it’s all for a good cause – several good causes, actually. All profits will be donated to the Patsy Glenn Refuge, the bird and nature sanctuary in the heart of Wimberley. Wimberley Birding Society volunteers will be on hand to serve up popcorn and cold drinks. Prizes, including bird prints, bird books and bird houses, will be given away at intermission.

The movie’s distributor has pledged five percent of the film’s lifetime box office to be divided equally between the National Geographic Polar Fund, National Wildlife Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society and World Wildlife Fund.

The Corral Theater is located just off highway 3237 on Flight Acres Road in Wimberley. Chairs and benches are provided, or you can bring your own lawn chairs. Box office opens at 7:30 and show time will be about 8:20 nightly.