Written by Lacey Mayes, Staff Writer
DAYTON, TN – On the night of September 21, 2023 Bryan College students hit the brakes on busy college life to get together and watch Cars. Young people from freshman to seniors gathered together under a clear night sky and enjoyed a time watching a classic with friends and snacks. Andrew Morris, a junior, noted that, although he was unsure about the childish movie choice of Cars, by the end of the event, he was willing to admit that “it just brings back that nostalgia.”
According to Kyla Phillips, a Junior Student Leader, the movie choice was an attempt to tap into the feeling of fall and the nostalgia that this time of the year starts to bring. Students seemed to respond positively to this effort, bringing blankets, snacks and even friends from other schools to join in on the familiar feeling of fall and fellowship. According to one of the visiting friends, the evening provided a time to slow down and be with friends. “I usually like to come here and hang out with my friends because, I mean, this is actually our last semester,” Hailey, a student from another university, said.
Phillips noted that more students attended this year because of the choice to have the event on a Thursday night, unlike last year when the movie night landed on a Friday. To her, the event acts as a time for people to really get to know each other.
“We started doing this event last year. We thought, oh, an outdoor movie, something nice where everybody can come. It’s very universal and everybody just sits together like, ‘Oh, can I share a blanket?’” Phillips said. According to Phillips, planning the event was heavily focused on the idea of drawing the campus together and encouraging new relationship formations.
For others, the evening meant even more than just spending time with good people. It was an opportunity to take a break from the stress of classes. “[It] gave an opportunity to kind of relax and an excuse to kind of take a break from the crazy and just spend time with friends,” Josiah Cruver, a Junior, said.
This planning of the student leaders paid off. With a little help from the perfect weather, the great movie and snacks, and emphasis on the nostalgic fall season, blankets were shared and the triangle was filled with laughter. Morris said that his favorite part of the evening was “doing it with friends, getting to hang out and have fun while watching a classic that we all grew up watching.”
Adelyn Beniot, a Junior, summed up the evening by saying: “I think it’s a time to rest as the semester is kind of starting to get a little busy. It’s a time where people can just come together and hang out, you know, build some community, connect with one another to just talk about a fantastic movie.”
Lacey Mayes is a Bryan freshman double majoring in Criminal Psychology and Communications. Her hobbies include fishing, hiking, reading, and writing as well as visiting her hometown in Chattanooga TN.
