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Muncie Community Screening of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” to Support Close Encounters Muncie Project

MUNCIE, IN — The 21+ public is invited to gather at RoHo’s Martini Bar on Saturday, March 21st, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a special community screening of the classic sci-fi film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

The event is being presented in partnership with organizers of Close Encounters Muncie, a community art and tourism initiative celebrating Muncie’s connection to the iconic 1977 film. The screening offers fans and community members a chance to revisit the movie that inspired the upcoming public art project while learning more about the initiative currently underway in the city.

Close Encounters Muncie recently secured grant support from the Indiana Arts Commission through its Creative Convergence program. The project team has also launched a Creating Spaces crowdfunding campaign through Patronicity to help bring the first phase of the project to life.

Phase One of Close Encounters Muncie will feature an interactive outdoor sculptural pipe organ installed on the campus of Minnetrista Museum & Gardens. The mobile, light-integrated sculpture will play the film’s famous five-note musical motif and is scheduled to debut during Muncie’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration in 2026, inviting visitors to see it, hear it, and even play it themselves.

The broader initiative, led by Muncie sculptor Aaron Nicholson and Carl Schafer of Gordy Fine Art & Framing Company, aims to celebrate the film’s cultural legacy while creating a unique public art experience that attracts visitors and sparks community pride.

Saturday’s screening at RoHo’s is free and open to the public (Adults 21+). Guests are encouraged to attend, enjoy the film, and learn how they can support the Close Encounters Muncie campaign.

Click here to learn more about the project or contribute to the crowdfunding campaign.