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