City hosts free outdoor screening of The Sandlot

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

It’s hard to find a more potent piece of cinematic nostalgia than the 1993 classic The Sandlot, which tells the raucous yet family-friendly tale of a rag-tag band of kids in the summer of 1962, whose lives and misadventures revolve around the neighborhood ball field.

Equal parts comedy and heartfelt coming-of-age story, The Sandlot revolves around Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), who moves to a new house with his mom and step-dad and tries to make friends with the local kids, who are all avid baseball players.

Smalls lacks talent and has a hard time fitting in, but his bond with the other boys grows as the summer progresses. Things take a perilous turn when Hamilton “Ham” Porter (a scene-stealing Patrick Renna) hits a homer into the backyard of mysterious old-man neighbor Mr. Mertle (James Earl Jones), who keeps a murderous English mastiff nicknamed “the Beast.”

From there, the rowdy events of the summer stack up. Thwarted romance, friction with the step-dad and more lost baseballs (including one bearing a priceless autograph) culminate with an ultimate showdown with the Beast and the realization that people — and dogs — aren’t always who they seem to be.

The city of Sandpoint is putting on a free outdoor screening of The Sandlot on Friday, Aug. 30 at Pine Street Park from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Hosted by the Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Department, the PG-rated film is open to all members of the community, who are invited to bring low-backed chairs, blankets and coolers for snacks (though no alcohol is permitted). In addition, local organizations will offer information about resources available to residents.

Weather may affect the date of the film screening, and updates will be posted on the city of Sandpoint’s Facebook page as needed.