The Onset Bay Movie Company will begin its thirteenth season of movie screenings at the Onset Band Shell Thursday, July 1, with a showing of "The Incredible Hulk" at 8 p.m.

"We really love doing it," said Onset Bay Movie Company co-founder Christian Fernandes, who organizes the family-friendly screenings with co-founder Jim Potter and secretary Erin Brand. Their families, as well as a number of volunteers, also help out.

Six weeks of movies are planned for the 2010 season. The movies are free to watch, with popcorn and drinks available for purchase to help support the group's efforts. Prices are kept affordable. A small popcorn is $1, a large is $3, and a popcorn with free refills is $5. Drinks cost $1.

"We keep everything very low for families to come and not have to spend a lot of money," said Potter.

The weekly showings have been a fixture since 1997. Fernandes and Potter, who grew up together in Onset, were inspired to start the organization after they learned that a former resident had screened movies for the community decades before.

There were already Wednesday night concerts at the Band Shell, which seemed to be popular, "and we thought, 'Why not movies?,'" Potter said.

"We were bored," Fernandes said. "When Jim and I get bored, we do crazy things." He was quick to clarify: "Not bad things."

So the Onset Bay Movie Company was born.

"I've been told from people outside the community that they see it as one of these last wholesome family activities," Potter said. "It really doesn't market anything. It doesn't try to sell you anything. It's just something that you can go [to] and enjoy with your family."

The group must pay around $300 for the rights to screen each movie, and each screening can attract 200 to 300 people, depending on the weather. Though the recession has taken a toll on the number of donations the nonprofit has received in recent years, the show must go on, said Fernandes.

"We can't not have it. We have to have it," he said, adding that some of the movie-goers have been attending since the beginning, and now bring their children to watch. "We're so invested in it. It's almost as if we don't have the movies, we feel that Onset loses."

The Onset Bay Movie Company is supported by the Onset Bay Association, the Community Events Committee, by donations from a number of local businesses, and from viewers on movie nights.

"We'd like everyone to come out with their family and enjoy the series and help keep it going," Potter said.

To donate or volunteer, contact Christian Fernandes at 508-273-6274, or click here to connect with the Onset Bay Movie Company on Facebook.

Onset Bay Movie Company 2010 Schedule:

July 1 "The Incredible Hulk" (2008)
July 8 "Where the Wild Things Are"
July 15 "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
July 22 "Planet 51"
July 29 "Monsters vs. Aliens"
August 5 "Star Trek"
August 12 Rain date