Zombie walkathons, haircutting showdowns, karaoke contests and gourmet popcorn all converged at the Fremont Outdoor Cinema last weekend.

The theater, which began its 17th season this year, shows weekly movies during the summer for a suggested donation of $5. The program also provides visitors with zany preshow activities that relate to the featured film.

“It’s easy: Grab a few lawn chairs, a blanket, a picnic basket; then grab a date or a group of friends,” said Ryan Reiter, the artistic director of the program.

The festivities before last week’s showing of Edward Scissorhands included a hairstylist competition hosted by Rudy’s Barbershop.

“There’s a lot of preshow fun, comedians, jugglers and magicians,” said vendor Dana Adams.

Saturday’s festivities began with about 250 people arriving for the preshow fun. As the sun disappeared, the former gas station evolved into a make-shift theater. The parking lot was a montage of laughing children, pets and young couples by the time the film began on the 40-foot jumbotron.

Edward Scissorhands is one movie in a lineup that is chosen by the cinema staff before the start of each summer.

“We start out with a list of about 30 movies that we have played over the years, never played, and movies that we think would be a good [match] for the summer,” Reiter said. “It sounds easy, but it usually takes us about three months to make our final decisions.”

The Fremont Outdoor Cinema started in 1992 as a means of bringing people together while supporting local businesses. The cinema has a family-oriented atmosphere that employs interactive aspects such as movie trivia, costume contests, karaoke and photo booths.

While this cinema is an outdoor venue, it has had difficulties accommodating all of its visitors in the past. Jon Hegeman, co-founder of the cinema, said that some moviegoers spilled into the streets and onto rooftops for last summer’s showing of Ghostbusters.

For the rest of the summer, the cinema will show an array of cult classics and established blockbusters such as Some Like It Hot and Die Hard. Additionally, 3,800 zombies will attempt to break a Guinness World Record by walking the streets of Fremont before the screening of Shaun of the Dead on July 3.

“We’ll probably go to another one if the evening is right,” said moviegoer Kelly Malone on his first visit to the cinema.

After a long year of economic strain, watching an outdoor movie and participating in the eccentric festivities of the Fremont Outdoor Cinema is an inexpensive way to let loose and start the summer.

Reach reporter Julian Estrada at arts@dailyuw.com.