Drive-in movies are a great part of American culture. There is nothing better on a summer night than tuning your radio to the movie station, eating your favourite snacks, and getting together with friends and family to watch a movie on the big screen.

I myself have fond memories of drive-in movie nights in Historic Richmond Town with my family at young age where I was lucky enough to experience American classics such as Jaws, E.T., Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, etc. for the first time. This was a tradition in my family summer after summer, where my whole family would pile into my mom’s minivan and have some of the best times of my childhood. We didn’t care how squished we were in the car because we were just having so much fun with our favorite snacks, watching great movies for only $7 a car ($10 at the door). I loved going to Historic Richmond Towne for school trips as kid, but there was something so special about seeing it at night, with food trucks, and the big projector screen that seemed so cool to me as a kid.

The drive-in not only holds some of my favorite childhood memories, but it also built a sense of community. I remember every year the parking lot was packed with people, and they would have someone before the movie started who would pick people from the crowd to play games with or ask questions. This was so fun to me as a child, who of course always wished they would get chosen, but also because I loved how interactive it was with the crowd. 

Now that I’m older I feel like I’m always hearing people, especially teenagers, my friends included, talk about how there is nothing to do on the island for fun. If they brought back this drive-in for the summer, I know for a fact it’s something so many people would love to go to. Why should people have to go into the city for fun and unique experiences like this when we could have it right to the island. Please sign the petition to keep this exciting American tradition alive, it would mean so much to me and so many others!