Drive-in movies terrific answer to social distancing
Yuma’s dark skies, great weather could offer perfect setting
My hometown in Ohio still has a drive-in movie theater, and I spent many summer nights as a kid there. It didn’t really matter what movies were playing – it was inexpensive, and my family loved it.
Sometimes, we sat in the car and listened over the radio. But usually, my parents punted us kids outside to watch the movie from a blanket on the ground, while they watched from inside the car. It gave them some space, and we were delighted because we didn’t have to try to watch from the back seat.
At intermission, it was off to the concession stand for some popcorn and, if we were really lucky, a box of candy to be split between my siblings and I.
It’s an experience that I miss. Going to the drive-in was inexpensive and we could bring our own snacks.
It was social to a point – but I didn’t have to worry about sitting next to a stranger in a dark movie theater. Instead, it was an outdoor experience with my family or my friends.
At one point in American history, there were more than 4,000 drive-in movie theaters across America, but today, just a handful remain. Fortunately, my hometown drive-in theater is one, and it just reopened this week as Ohio eases its COVID-19 restrictions.
And now, it’s possible drive-ins will see a resurgence, offering a way for people to enjoy a movie on the big screen without the risks of a crowd inside a regular movie theater.
According to a Bloomberg Business report, “driveins are drawing a whole new corps of customers from the pandemic generation.”
The publication talked to several drive-in owners who noted business was booming, as people looked to find something safe to do out of the house.
The City of Yuma this week announced it was hosting a drive-in movie experience at Desert Sun Stadium after requests from the community, and it hopes to continue such events through the summer. The city has set the event up with COVID-19 precautions in place, noting it is “designed as a public health-friendly event.”
It’s a great move on the city’s part, because drive-in movies are a great way to be socially distant yet still get out and enjoy some entertainment.
And maybe one day soon, it will lead to a private entrepreneur taking action and bringing back a drivein movie theater to Yuma. I’m sure there are lots of hurdles here to consider – such as finding a big enough piece of land outside of the airport/MCAS Yuma flight path in an area with a dark swath of sky. But boy, I think it would be amazing to watch a movie under our desert sky. It’s a business that could be open almost all year round, thanks to our great weather here.
What do you think, Yuma? Would a drive-in movie theater be a business you would support here? Let us know. Share your thoughts online at www.YumaSun. com, or send in a Letter to the Editor at letters@YumaSun.com.