Drive In View
By Chris Murphy
Going to the drive in is fun!
It has always been fun since the invention of the drive in way back in the day. This time, the drive in made a big comeback due to the COVID and this is one of the pandemic trends that we hope will stay. My friend Mark Stotzer of Lucky Shoe Productions, reopened the iconic Ceres Drive last year with with his production team, largely on hiatus due to the mass cancellation of large events. They installed a monster digital projection system, remodeled the restrooms, snack bar and facilities and now it is a full service Drive in, offering 1st run movies. Going to the drive in could not get any easier. You don’t have to get dressed up and just get the kids in the car. 1) Bought my ticket on line with a scan code 2) checked in before dusk 3) found my own 12’ space and backed in 4) Hit the snack bar and got delicious popcorn, hot dog, ice cream bar and a soda 5) popped my hatch back 6) turned my car radio to 106.7 and it was show time on the giant 100’ screen.
The best part of this was seeing all of the families and kids, people had their folding chairs all set up, kids in the back of pick up beds. There were also traditional daters sitting in the front seat and as the sun went down, the screen lit up for Tom and Jerry and the new Disney Film Raya and the Last Dragon. Everyone was having a great time, the sound is better running through your car’s system and it was a perfect evening. The popcorn was great, the prices were right and this is something that should continue in the future. Fortunately many others have been enjoying the Ceres Cruise In and the theatre has been ranked in the top of all theatres in the USA for sales and was actually #1 one week when King Kong premiered. This is great.
We need things like this in our community, so let’s keep it going, even after we are all back to normal, Heck, I think Drive Ins are the new normal and let’s make this tradition part of our community.
For more info and ticket info: www.cerescruisein.com
To find more things to do in Modesto, check out www.modestoview.com
