Arts&Life
family fun
32 | JULY 9 • 2020
CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER
F
olks got to take a trip back in time,
June 28, as the Jewish Community
Center’
s parking lot transformed into
The 15 Mile Drive-In Theater, airing Ferris
Bueller’
s Day Off at 9:30 p.m.
The idea for The 15 Mile Drive-In
Theater was created by Jackson Partrich, 19,
and Daniel Sternberg, 19, who both reside
in Bloomfield Hills and are rising juniors
at the University of Michigan. Partrich and
Sternberg both have an interest in entrepre-
neurship and thought a summer drive-in
theater was a perfect way to bring the com-
munity together.
“I started thinking about what people are
going to be able to do throughout the sum-
mer and I thought about how a lot of movie
theaters might remain closed, and I just
had the idea of bringing a drive-in theater
to West Bloomfield,
” Sternberg told the JN.
“We wanted to bring
the community togeth-
er and have something
to do as a family.
”
Partrich, who is an
alumnus of Frankel
Jewish Academy, is
familiar with the JCC
and thought their
parking lot would be the perfect spot to
host their drive-in theater. The guys reached
out to Brian Siegel, CEO of the JCC, who
loved the idea and thought it was a great
opportunity to bring a drive-in to West
Bloomfield.
Sternberg and Partrich have partnered
with not only the JCC for the event, but also
West Bloomfield School District and Fleece
and Thank You, an organization that makes
and provides fleece blankets to children bat-
tling life-threatening illnesses in hospitals.
Since there is a limit on how many people
can gather due to the coronavirus pandem-
ic, tickets are sold per person, instead of per
car. The ticket price for two people is $30,
three people is $40 and four or more is $50.
You can purchase tickets by heading to their
Facebook page or website.
The cars are parked with ample amount
of space between each one to ensure that
the theater is adhering to COVID-19 guide-
lines. Attendees were told what FM radio
station to tune into to transform their vehi-
cles into their own personal movie theater.
Proceeds from the drive-in theater benefit
Fleece and Thank You and the JCC. Fleece
and Thank You also sold warm blankets at
the theater for those who forgot them.
The movies are aired
on a giant, inflatable
55-foot screen. The
guys have purchased
all the movies on DVD
and are obtaining the
movie licensing.
All cars receive a free
bag of popcorn from
Detroit Popcorn with a choice of a water or
pop. Other snacks and candy are available
for purchase at the theater, including kosher
pizza from Jerusalem Pizza and Domino’
s
Pizza. All snacks orders are placed by text
and then delivered to the cars.
Partrich and Sternberg plan to continue
to air movies throughout the summer on
Thursday and Saturday nights. They hope
to feature a mix of throwback movies, such
as Ferris Bueller’
s Day Off, and animated
movies, such as Frozen or The Incredibles,
to bring families together throughout the
community.
“I think it is very important for families
to get out of the house, bring their kids
out and just have a glimpse of normal life,
”
Sternberg said. “The drive-in provides a
space to distract yourself and put a smile on
your family’
s faces.
”
COURTESY OF JARC
Canterbury
Village
TESY OF JARC
Jewish Pop-Up
Drive-Ins
With summer in full swing, Jewish pop up drive-in
theaters are gaining traction.
Jackson
Partrich
Daniel
Sternberg