Your favorite clairvoyant goth hero and high school clique-buster has inspired the theme for this year’s Summer Scream at Lakeside Amusem*nt Park — even if its co-producer initially had trouble wrapping his head around the concept.
“Chris came to me with three ideas for this year, and he left Winona Ryder for last,” said Andrew Novick, who along with Chris Getzan programs and runs the annual fundraiser for Denver Film. “I was like, ‘Wait, what? That’s not a theme. I love it, but I have no idea what it means.”
What Getzan meant is what attendees will see at the Thursday, Aug. 22 party, which as usual includes adult drinks, unlimited rides on the classic theme park’s attractions (the open ones, anyway), and lots of interactive programming. In the past, that has centered on ’90s pop culture as well as ahistorical, carnival boardwalk-style dive into Lakeside’s 116-year history.
Last year, Summer Scream sold 3,500 tickets, although actual attendance was closer to 3,300, Getzan said. That’s still a record and another consecutive sell-out for the nonprofit Denver Film’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Summer Scream’s budget is up this year after being flat for the last two events (Novick declined to provide numbers), so they will be able to pay performers a bit more, Novick said.
“What we care about just as much as the attendees is, ‘Did Lakeside like it?’ We’re out to impress them and Denver Film folks. Lakeside, for example, was skeptical about the pro wrestling (event) last year, but everybody loved it. I had no doubt people would be entertained, but they were worried about insurance.”
“Denver Film also really liked our Blockbuster video store last year, which was a surprise because we didn’t say anything about it ahead of time,” said Getzan, who likes to plan scavenger hunts for attendees. “People took an hour out of the time of the party to go solve all these clues last year.”
Roving character actors, the open bar, relevant trivia and (likely) some posters and/or film clips of Ryder’s work will be in effect. They’ll have plenty of visual fodder from her roles as Tim Burton’s muse (“Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands”); disillusioned popular girl (“Heathers”); Gen X dream-woman (“Reality Bites”); dramatic go-to (“Little Women”); and indie stalwart (“Night on Earth,” “A Scanner Darkly”)..
It’s no wonder the poster depicts six different eras of Ryder as six people packed into a roller coaster car, designed by Denver artist Cori Redford. Denver Film’s Sie FilmCenter is also screening a selection of Ryder’s best roles beginning Aug. 2, and leading up to the Aug. 22 event. On tap, according to Denver Film: “Edward Scissorhands,” “Mermaids,” “Reality Bites,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “Heathers.”
“This is a love letter and homage to (Ryder’s films),” Getzan said. “And with ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ coming out the month after our event, and a new ‘Stranger Things’ season coming on Netflix, we hope we can get the attention of film companies and get some Winona-related stuff.”
Ryder is set to reprise her role as the black lace-clad Lydia Deetz in the “Beetlejuice” sequel, which will be released on Sept. 6, and will return as Joyce Byers — mother to intrepid, dimension-busting kids — in “Stranger Things” Season 5 on Netflix, which is set for 2025.
Getzan and Novick were typically cagey about exactly how the theme will be rendered. They like to surprise attendees with quirky, creative and memorable in-person offerings — things you’ll never again experience, they said. Coupled with the rides on the historic carousel, Ferris wheel, or Tilt-A-Whirl, the event is set up to be another dreamlike experience, Getzan said.
“We’re very, very strongly encouraging people to come in costume,” he said. “If I see, in the waning days of summer at a 100-year-old plus amusem*nt park, a bunch of people dressed as Winona Ryder, I might just walk into the lake after that and go join my ancestors, because it doesn’t get better than that.”
“This party’s going to be so Winona that she might even show up,” Novick joked, however aspirationally. “We’ve got professional cosplayers from Colorado Cosplay Academy making costumes. They’re sewing dresses and making original outfits. They’re looking so great that if the real Winona was there, you might not even recognize her.”
If you go
Summer Scream 2024. Denver Film fundraiser. 6-11 p.m. at Lakeside Amusem*nt Park, 4601 Sheridan Blvd. in Denver. 21-and-up. Tickets: $65 for Denver Film members, $75 for non-members, plus fees. denverfilm.org
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