Cochrane to hold free drive-in movie event

Traditional family pastimes have been seeing a resurgence in the wake of COVID-19. Puzzles have flown off of virtual store shelves, people are learning to bake, and even going for a weekend stroll in the park is back in vogue.

Thanks to an upcoming event in Cochrane next month, another throwback can be added to the list — drive-in movies.

“It’s providing an opportunity to lift the spirits of the community by getting people out of their homes and giving them optimism and hope to the future,” said Dan Kroffat, a Cochranite with the organizing team. “This may be the first thing coming to Cochrane that will allow people to participate outside their homes.”

The event, called Movie Under The Stars, is set to take over the Spray Lake Sawmill Family Sports Centre parking lot on June 6. With the recreation facility on hiatus since mid-march and the large expanse of asphalt sitting mostly vacant, it was an ideal venue for the movie fundraiser.

“We thought the movie night was a wonderful idea,” said Blair Felesky, the sports centre’s CEO.

“This is a perfect platform for us to engage with our community to have some outdoor activities, and it’s just a great litmus test for future stuff.”

The drive-in flick is hosted by the Young Professional Rotary Club of Cochrane, with the intention of boosting both community spirit and supply levels at the Cochrane Food Bank.

Organizers haven’t yet picked a title but are planning on something that will appeal to both kids and adults.

The group has set a goal of welcoming 300 vehicles at the drive-in (with each car only hosting healthy individuals from the same household, of course). For the event to stay in line with provincial health guidelines, attendees need to stay within the confines of their vehicle.

“Going back to a drive-in movie theatre is neat; we’re going back to our roots a little bit to try and get back some sort of community connection,” said Cochrane mayor Jeff Genung. “It’s kind of like being together, just separated with a little glass and metal.”

A rented drive-in movie screen will be situated at one end of the parking lot, and audio will be broadcast into vehicles via radio.

Organizers say that while they were given the go-ahead to host the film, they won’t be able to have food or washroom facilities on-site. Attendees should bring their own snacks from home, take their garbage with them, and go to the bathroom ahead of time.

Admission is free, but a donation to the Cochrane Food Bank is encouraged.

Access to the lot and food bank drop-off will open at 8:30 p.m., with the film to kick off an hour later.