When 200 people on blankets and lawn chairs pack a small alley in downtown Eau Claire, in the waning hours of a Monday night no less, it can only mean one thing. The Back Alley Summer Cinema Series has returned. Our longest-running annual event is now in its sixth year, and promises four awesome cult, indie, and summer-defining movie screenings. The series kicks off July 5 with The Coen Brothers’ slapstick classic Raising Arizona, the duo’s second movie, which concerns kidnapping, prison escape, and Nic Cage. The comedy continues a week later with This is Spinal Tap, an amalgamation and parody of nearly ever rock movie ever made in the debut of the mockumentary style. The headbanging shifts to head punching in the third installment, Enter the Dragon. Largely considered Bruce Lee’s greatest film, this is a martial arts extravaganza from its golden era. The final evening is reserved for Field of Dreams, the feel-good Iowan flick about a cornfield, a voice, and ghosts of baseball legends.

All shows are in the alley that would be 205 Graham Avenue, start at 9:30pm every Monday in July, and cost you nothing. And don’t forget the concessions provided by WHYS Radio at this event co-presented by Deb Becker at State Farm, Benny HaHa, Toppers Pizza, and Kadinger Event Production. Visit the Back Alley page for all the details, and in case of inclement weather.