Tradition
Every October near Halloween, the movie The Town That Dreaded Sundown, which is loosely based on Texas Ranger Captain M. T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas' investigation into the murders, is the last movie shown to the public during "Movies in the Park" at Spring Lake Park (where the second double murder occurred) when the weather permits, or at the Southwest Center (near where the first double murder occurred) when it does not. Movies in the Park plays four movies in the months of May and October, with The Town That Dreaded Sundown being last. The free event is sponsored by The Texarkana, Texas Department of Parks & Recreation. The showing of the movie has been a tradition since 2003. About 600 people showed up at the showing in 2008.
Texarkana, Texas Parks & Recreation Department Director Robby Robertson in 2009 said many people have called and asked for a DVD copy of the film. There is no official release on DVD and it isn't very easy to get. Robertson said, "It's still shown only on VHS tape and those aren't even available anymore." He also said that the city can't go to a local video store to rent or buy the film. Instead, because of legal restrictions, the city has to rent it through a movie distributor for $175 to $200 per showing.
Read more about this topic: Texarkana Moonlight Murders
Famous quotes containing the word tradition:
“This is no argument against teaching manners to the young. On the contrary, it is a fine old tradition that ought to be resurrected from its current mothballs and put to work...In fact, children are much more comfortable when they know the guide rules for handling the social amenities. It’s no more fun for a child to be introduced to a strange adult and have no idea what to say or do than it is for a grownup to go to a formal dinner and have no idea what fork to use.”
—Leontine Young (20th century)
“Because it’s not only that a child is inseparable from the family in which he lives, but that the lives of families are determined by the community in which they live and the cultural tradition from which they come.”
—Bernice Weissbourd (20th century)
“But, with whatever exception, it is still true that tradition characterizes the preaching of this country; that it comes out of the memory, and not out of the soul; that it aims at what is usual, and not at what is necessary and eternal; that thus historical Christianity destroys the power of preaching, by withdrawing it from the exploration of the moral nature of man; where the sublime is, where are the resources of astonishment and power.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)