Outdoor home theater a big hit

Paul and Betsy Kosch both come from families of 10 children. That means getting the whole family together in a home is difficult, and taking all the siblings, spouses and children to a movie would be prohibitively expensive.

One of Betsy Kosch’s brothers, Bill Wegner, came up with an idea: Why not show movies on a big screen in the Kosches’ big yard? Another brother, Mark Wegner, took up the technical challenge of creating an outdoor theater.

A 27-foot-high, permanent structure of steel poles and an old billboard was built for the screen. A projector was fashioned that can show movies from DVDs or VHS tapes or television programs. The “peacock roost” was born.

The Kosches have peacocks on their acreage between Omaha and Blair, Neb., and tell people who wonder aloud about the contraption in their yard that it’s a roost for the birds.

Their first movie, “Independence Day,” was shown July 4, 2008. Now family and friends come every Friday night in good weather — and sometimes bad — to see movies. The evening starts with music and dancing, followed by a children’s movie. Then comes a feature for the adults. Most of the children fall asleep by that time, Betsy Kosch said.

“It’s a pretty neat system,” she said.

The number of people who show up varies, Kosch said, but it’s usually quite a crowd. They’ve started showing Nebraska football games, too, and have had almost 100 on hand for those.

Kosch said they keep on hand a box of blankets in case it gets cool and lawn chairs they pick up at garage sales. Her husband built a fire ring. Everyone chips in with snacks. They show whatever movie someone brings.

“We have a great time,” said Kosch, principal at Joslyn Elementary School in Omaha. Her husband works at the OPS Teacher Administrative Center.

But this story may have a sequel: Her brothers and husband want to redo the setup, making it bigger and better.

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