By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                The unmistakable sound of young children laughing and giggling could be heard at Cornelius Williams Community Park Saturday night near Williston as a movie came to life on an inflatable screen in front of them.

                It was Movie Night at the Park. Polar Express was playing. The kids wore luminous headphones in the darkness that allowed them to hear the movie while adults talked around them as though it was a silent film.

            A company called Silitt supplied the headphones and provided the children’s movie. The children listened to music before the movie began to play. The transition between the music and the movie was seamless.

            Friends of Cornelius Williams Community Park sponsored the movie night. Hot chocolate and popcorn were handed out and a Williston police officer was sent to the park to distribute Christmas gifts before the movie started.

            Police Officer Hunter Duke opened the back of his patrol car to show the children two large piles of gifts Santa had given him to get out of a speeding ticket.

            Oh yes, Duke explained, he caught Santa speeding in Williston and pulled over his sleigh. He said the embarrassed jolly red gentleman agreed to give Williston kids a bunch of gifts if the officer would forget about the ticket.

            It was a done deal. When Duke arrived at the park, he called the kids over to his patrol car and asked them if they knew what was in the patrol vehicle. They stood silently until he opened his back door to reveal the piles of gifts.

            He removed the gifts from the patrol car and kids were invited to begin sorting through them to find what they wanted. It was Christmas before Christmas.

            Earlier in the evening, Williston Fire Rescue brought a fire truck to the park. The more adventurous kids were hoisted into the truck by firefighter Kyle Spencer and allowed to sit in the driver’s seat and honk the horn if they wanted.

            Jacqueline Appling, who heads the Cornelius Williams Community Park volunteer organization, said the December Movie Night at the Park is one of the events the organization uses to encourage people to use the park.

            She said the number of kids that turned out wasn’t what she hoped but it was a good start.

            “Hopefully we’ll get more people coming in. We have some areas we need to work on. We just have every year to make it better,” she said. “It rained on us a little today, but the kids are having fun.”

            This was the second year for movie night. Last year the weather was ice cold. The churches sent blankets to keep the kids warm at the softball field where the movie was viewed.

            This year it was balmy warm. The city provided portable generators to power temporary lights at the basketball court, site of the movie. The kids sat in chairs or curled up on blankets on the basketball court to watch the movie.

            Movie night is one of the several events sponsored by the Friends of Cornelius Williams Community Park. Last year, the small group sponsored a pre-Mother’s Day event the week before the holiday. Mothers drove through a line and were given muffins, a drink, and a card created by the children. Appling said they held the Mother’s Day celebration in the morning before church.

            They also held Juneteenth at the park this year. Young adults played kickball. Gussie Boatright presented the Juneteenth program.

            Vonda Williams, who is the daughter of Cornelius Williams, and who along with Appling is a volunteer in the Friends of Cornelius Williams Community Park, said movie night was a success.

            “This is something great for the community and it’s well needed and I’m absolutely excited,” she said.

            She said the park needs lighting and better parking. She said the park also needs to be fenced for security purposes.

            “People can drive anywhere in the park and that’s not safe for the kids,” Williams said.

            Appling said her goal is to bring people to the park with events.

            “My thing is to get it used by families for whatever they want to use it for,” she said.

            Williams said people shouldn’t have to drive to neighboring cities to enjoy a day in the park.

            “You shouldn’t have to leave your town. You shouldn’t have to drive to Gainesville or Ocala or Dunnellon. The park is right here. The park just needs to be developed,” she said.

            The park has no night security lighting, fencing, stadium lighting for the fields, concession stands, or pavilions for family gatherings.

            Park movie night was possible only because city first responders provided generator-powered portable lights for the children and adults to be able to safely walk around.

            Councilwoman Marguerite Robinson attended movie night on behalf of the city.

Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt December 18, 2021; Posted December 19, 2021