(dramatic whooshing) (gentle guitar music) - [Jamie] As the sun sets, the Cherry Bowl Drive-In flickers to life.

Families roll in, radio's hum as the previews queue up, and a Michigan summer tradition begins.

For Mindi Jarmin, that tradition became a second act, and a chance to change her life.

- So I've been a preschool teacher for the past 15 years, we lived in the Lansing area, I've taught in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing, and I loved it, and after COVID, my husband was like, "You're not happy," and I was like, "You're right, I'm not," and he was like, "Let's find something that makes you happy."

Our boat has been in Frankfort for many, many years, which is just around the corner, and so, we spent all summer up here, and last year we drove by the drive-in and it was for sale, and I looked at my husband and I said, "John-John, we're gonna buy the drive-in," and he said, "Will that make you happy?"

And I said, "Yep, I think so," and so, that's what we did.

- [Jamie] What started as a chance drive-by became a mission, to keep a Michigan summer tradition alive.

- So there was a theater in Beulah that was owned by... I don't remember their names, but it was owned by a couple, and they decided to open the charitable with another couple, and shortly thereafter, they separated ways and it was run by a woman until 1997 when Laura and Harry Clark took it over, and then, they ran the theater until last year in September when my husband John and I bought it.

- [Jamie] Stepping back into the fabulous '50s is part of the feature here.

The grand opening was Saturday, July 4th, 1953.

On the big screen, the mightiest of motion pictures, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth" in Technicolor, followed by the campy thriller "Bride of the Gorilla."

Admission was just 60 cents for adults and kids were free.

The screen tower was later widened to accept the new CinemaScope phenomenon, the widescreen revolution of its day, and you can still spot the smaller frames on vintage cartoons during the pre-show reels.

- I also really love that we get to play the nostalgic cartoons, we have the dancing hot dogs and we have my favorite... ♪ Let's all go to the lobby ♪ Let's all go to the lobby So that's been fun to, like, research those, and we have them on 35-millimeter, but we also have them in our digital system, so that's been super fun.

- [Jamie] It was the kind of small town Americana that helped define an era, and it's still alive here today.

- We have a line you drive in, you pay for your tickets, and then, you park your car, and that is your movie seat, so you can bring blankets, you can bring chairs, you can bring couches, you can bring your hammock, you can bring whatever you want, set it up outside of your car and you have your whole car to enjoy the movie.

You can run around at our playground, you can play putt-putt, you can be outside the whole time, you can sit with your best friend, and then, you come in and have delicious snacks and take 'em right back out to your car.

- [Jamie] It's a rare pause in a busy world, a chance to put down the glowing screens in your hands and just soak up the moment and the memories together.

- And I think one of my favorite things about the theater is that it is a place where you are in real life, you are not on your phones, you walk around the lot at night and people have card games set up, they have Scrabble, they are sitting down talking to and laughing with their families, and, you know, there are very few people who are just sitting there scrolling on their phones.

- [Jamie] Many of the faces behind the snack stand and the screen grew up coming here themselves, like Thomas, who now helps create the same family atmosphere for a new generation of drive-in fans.

- So I've been coming to the drive-in for as long as I can remember, it was a big part of my family, we always fight brother and sister for who gets the best seat in the car and everything like that, and it's kind of just, like, hanging out with your family, you just make sure everybody's being safe and having a good time, just no shortage of a smile, I don't know it, it doesn't feel like work most of the time.

- For more than 70 years families have pulled in their cars, tuned on their radios, and watched movies the old-fashioned way, and there is no shortage of snacks.

Behind the scenes, even the equipment has its own starring rolls.

The Cherry Bowl's popcorn machine has been cranking out kernels for more than 72 years.

A true veteran of the concession stand.

- His name is Harold, he's a delight, so sometimes he screams at us and he... You might hear him start up and he goes... (Mindi mimicking Harold whistling) So we had to name him like an old man, and he is from 1953, we actually have two others in the garage just in case Harold breaks or we need parts for him, but he has been popping popcorn for us for 72 years.

- [Jamie] Being a kid here is half the fun, especially when you're a big fan of the owner herself.

It's the perfect place for a busy four-year-old to enjoy the fun with mom and dad.

What are you most excited about when your mommy tells you you get to come here?

- Movie Mindy.

(gentle guitar music) - We've been coming here since the old owners, and my husband and I started coming when we first started dating, so we've been coming for over 10 years, so it was... It's like a new family tradition that we come as many times as we can.

- [Jamie] Even the outtakes are part of the experience.

Families adding another story to tell.

And for first timers, that fun is even marked with a milestone.

- Certificates for people who are at the drive-in for the first time, because it is a monumentous occasion.

- [Jamie] Whether it's your first visit or your 50th, the feeling is the same, a touch of summertime cinema charm.

As the audience settles in and the lot quiets, like a theater dimming its lights, the opening credits roll, not on the screen, but behind the scenes in the projection booth, where Movie Mindy steps up to the microphone, delivers the night's announcements, and presses "Play" on another show.

- Every single night our manager Eric and I go into the projection booth and we turn on the microphone and we do the announcements, and then, we look at each other and he pushes "Play," and then, we wait and we look through the window to see if the movie's actually on screen, and when it is, we do a little dance and we do a little "Yay," and we say, "We did it again!"

(laughs) - [Jamie] And for the Cherry Bowl crew, it's not just about events and entertainment, it's a mission to preserve something bigger.

- It truly is a way of life and I feel a huge responsibility to maintain it and continue to restore it for many generations to come.

- [Jamie] That commitment gives way to quieter scenes at the end of the night, when gratitude takes center stage, each night on the lot offering a reminder of why this work matters.

- So every night we live on the property, and I walk away from the concession stand, and I walk away and I look up at the stars and I think to myself, "How could I be so lucky to be the one who gets to be the custodian of this place?"

- [Jamie] At the Cherry Bowl Drive-In it's about connecting generations.

A place where movie-goers become part of a story bigger than themselves.

- It is not only spectacularly beautiful, but the relationships that we've made in such a short period of time have been incredible, and I think that that is the true nature of Northern Michigan is that it is a community-based place and we're thrilled to be a part of it.