Tallgrass, art museum will set off ‘Dynamite’ at Friday screening

With Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton nearly cemented as the presumptive nominees of their political parties, this year’s Tunes and Tallgrass is asking you to consider another candidate on Friday night.

His name is Pedro.

That’s why the Tallgrass Film Association and Wichita Art Museum, in the fourth year of combining forces for the partnership, are screening “Napoleon Dynamite” at 9 p.m. to cap the evening’s free entertainment at the museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd.

“‘Napoleon Dynamite’ is a movie that came up in conversation from the very first year we started about doing the Tunes and Tallgrass show, and it just seems fitting that we’re finally able to show it (in an election year),” Tallgrass executive director Lela Meadow-Conner said.

In the sleeper comedy hit from 2004, Jon Heder stars in the title role as Idaho high school outcast whose many endeavors include running the class president candidacy of his friend, Pedro.

“It’s quirky and hilarious, a really fun, popular summer film,” said Wichita Art Museum director Patricia McDonnell.

The “Tunes” portion of the night will be supplied by Truckstop Honeymoon. The married, Lawrence-based couple of Katie and Mike West, who play five-string banjo and doghouse bass, combine elements of bluegrass, music hall jazz and rock ‘n’ roll and have developed a strong following in Wichita, McDonnell said.

“They’re so fabulous, and we’re pairing them with ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ because they’re youthful and a couple and quirky and so super,” McDonnell said of the duo, which performs at 7 p.m. “We thought the fit was right.”

Those attending are asked to bring their own lawn chairs. A cash bar and food trucks will be on the museum grounds, where gates open at 6:30 p.m.

Tunes and Tallgrass began in 2013 as a one-time event to introduce the Wichita Art Museum’s new terrace. The first film shown was “The Endless Summer,” a surfing documentary that was test-marketed in Wichita before its 1966 debut.

McDonnell said she was crossing her fingers for 200 people to attend. More than 800 showed up, “and it’s grown from there.”

“It just really struck a chord,” she said of continuing it annually. “It’s such a wonderful community gathering that both of our organizations just decided to continue.”

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” followed the next year, with the Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense” screened in 2015.

“We love partnering with the art museum, and we’re super excited to be in their outdoor garden and amphitheater,” Meadow-Conner said. “It’s a wonderful way for us to provide a free evening to kick off the summer and remind people that the film festival’s only four months away.”

Tallgrass also will use the event to kick off its Mini Movie Library Project. Donated DVDs, VHS tapes and Blu-Rays will be used to stock boxes similar to mini-book libraries that have sprouted up across the country.

The films, all curated to be family friendly, will land in any of five boxes around Wichita, decorated by participants in the Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters Positive Pathways program at Harvester Arts.

“It’s a great way to get rid of any old discs you might not want or just clean out the shelves, since everybody’s going digital,” Meadow-Conner said. “It’s a great way to clean up your library for a good cause.”

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 8:22 AM with the headline "Tallgrass, art museum will set off ‘Dynamite’ at Friday screening."