Greetings, flower power children of Winchester.

Traveling and the driving yourself towards personal continual improvement are the keys to growing in wisdom, contentment and the broadening of our horizons.

Every day we explore, learn something new or sharpen our swords (skills), we are making progress towards freedom.

The two-lane blacktop is a great professor. The open road and great American road trip are two my favorite things to partake within our vast country.

We have so many miles, paths and towns never heard about between Los Angeles and New York City.

Some of the fruits of these journeys are meeting intriguing people, sights to be seen, sounds to be heard and experiences to be had.

This upcoming weekend revisit a road less traveled in the limited 4K rescreening of the award-winning road trip classic, “Easy Rider” (1969).

“Easy Rider” is the unconventional low-budget counterculture classic starring Peter “Race with the Devil” Fonda, Dennis “Blue Velvet” Hopper (who also directed) and the legendary Jack “The Shining” Nicholson.

“Rider” is the cinematic experience exploring the uncensored 1960s counterculture in this compelling mixture of drugs, sex and the battle of the classes all while searching for the promised American Dream for all which pursue it.

The road trip follows two bikers and a tag along while they are cruising from California to New Orleans and road bumps along the way found in our society at the time of its release.

It’s a must-see for any true cinephile as this unlikely film was an award-winner at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and was a huge blockbuster underdog that helped birth the New Hollywood film movement which birthed legendary filmmakers and films during the crazy 1970s scene.

“Easy Rider” will be presented by Fathom Events and includes exclusive insight from Turner Classic Movies in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary. 

Show times are 4 p.m. Sunday and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday at Regal Cinemas in Hamburg.

If you are still searching for meaning in your life but have kids and are fearful of motorcycles, then jump on your bicycle and head over to the Bluegrass Community College Winchester Campus for their annual event, Moonlight Movie Nights every Friday night this July.

“Dumbo” (2019) will be screened tonight. It is the Disney live-action adaption of the classic cartoon which follows a young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, who helps save a struggling circus. When the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.

Get there early so you can dance, sing, and play in a marching band as campus director, Bruce Manley chases pink elephants away from the peanut stand.

“Mary Poppins Returns” (2018), to be screened July 19, revisits our favourite well-mannered magical British bird. Decades after her original visit, nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael’s children through a difficult time in their lives.

Good luck will rub off when Bruce shakes hands with you or he’ll blow you a kiss, and that’s lucky too.

Lastly, the animated “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (2019), follows Hiccup as he discovers Toothless isn’t the only Night Fury, he must seek “The Hidden World”, a secret Dragon Utopia before a hired tyrant named Grimmel finds it first. It will be screened July 26.

As always, MMN admission is free thanks to many local sponsors. Fun events begin at 7 p.m., including food trucks, inflatable slides, vendor booths, popcorn, snowcones, special contests prizes, giveaways and the pleasure of Bruce and his band of Merry Pranksters.

The movies begin at dusk around 9 p.m. at the BCTC Winchester Amphitheatre.

It should be a mind-expanding experience, so don’t bring me down … Bruce.

Have a film-tastic day! 

Rick Baldwin is a writer, filmmaker and film/music historian. He is president of the Winchester-Clark County Film Society. Find more from Rick on Facebook. He is on Twitter @rickbaldwin79 and can be reached by email at rickbaldwiniii@hotmail.com.