Hockey association sponsoring movie showing at drive-in theater

This weekend there will be another showing at the drive-in theater in Manistique, and a full house is expected.

Upper Michigan's only active drive-in will give folks another chance to come out and enjoy a movie while supporting a local organization.

"I was the second owner of the drive-in theater; it was build in 1953 then I bought it in 1972 and ran it until 1995," said former owner David Vaughan. "Going by the drive-in and seeing it, basically, closed up and weeds growing and the sign falling apart really hurt. My wife would say 'Don't look, don't look' as we drove while."

But David can look at the drive-in and be happy again because on September 10 at 7 p.m. they have another movie showing.

"The Manistique Hockey Association is sponsoring the next movie and they have chosen the movie with Miracle, which is about the 1980 gold metal winning hockey team," said Alan Barr, executive director of the Schoolcraft County Economic Development Corporation.

Sponsoring a night at the drive-in can serve a couple of purposes.

"Well, we wanted to give back to the community as well as offering the community a chance to come in and watch a movie that would motivate children to want to join with the hockey association," said Melissa Weber of the Manistique Hockey Association.

Manistique's drive-in closed in 2001, but some folks have went and looked at it thinking possibly about opening back up occasionally.

"And it's till standing; the screen is still standing and the concession building is still there it's in good shape," Barr said. "The person who owns the the drive-in allows the EDC to use it to stage events for the community."

While we all hope this is the first of many nights at the Manistique Drive-In, let's just be happy that people have another night to relive the past and show their kids how it was when they were young.

"Tourists would be driving through town and they would stop and spend the night because their kids had never been to a drive-in or they remembered going to one and wanted to relive it again," Vaughan said. "So it's nice to see it utilized a little bit this year."

So hop in the car and check out this piece of Americana: the drive-in movie theater.