COCHRANE— Drive-in theatres are coming back to Cochrane this summer.
Motor Nights, the organization responsible for the drive-in theatres, has rented space from the Cochrane and District Ag Society once again, in the location off Highway 1A, with space for roughly 255 vehicles.
The first of the events takes place on Thursday (May 27) at 7 p.m. Motor Nights will be screening the fan-favourite classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Justin Burwash, president of the Cochrane Ag Society, said he is excited to see the event come back to town for another year.
“We’re very pleased to be a host and we’re pleased that they’re coming back. I think it’s a great community asset to be able to have these Motor Nights,” he said.
Last year was the first year Motor Nights approached the Cochrane Ag Society about hosting the drive-in events on the grounds.
The event was a resounding success, Burwash said, and he felt it had a very positive effect on the community.
“It was a great way to give the community something to do. It had a very good vibe to it. It’s in a very visible spot, the community can see something is going on, and it has a very good feeling all around for morale,” he said.
He said given the popularity of the event last year he is excited to be hosting Motor Nights once again.
The event came at a time when bookings had all but evaporated, and Motor Nights gave the Ag Society something to look forward to.
“I think it’s been a great success. From the Ag Society perspective, we kind of went from looking like we may not have a single thing going on last year to having something regular going on that adds life to the park, that gave visibility to the park and kind of kept us interested and going too,” he said.
He said it was good to see the event return this year, given the effect it had on the Ag Society members, and the community at large.
“It felt so good last year and was such a success last year we would have been disappointed if they couldn’t do it again this year. We’re very pleased that they’re coming back and can do it again,” he said. “It would be a shame not to do it.”
Burwash added that he feels like the community needs events like this, that are safe and fun, especially now, as pandemic fatigue continues to build for many people.
“I think we’re all reaching our limit on what COVID has done to our lives. We’re craving stuff to do, and craving things that get us back out there and doing stuff and just enjoying things again. Things like this really fill some of that void when there are a lot of other things we can’t do right now. It is very important for everyone’s morale and emotional state,” he said.
To find out more about Cochrane’s drive-in theatre, or to get tickets, visit motornights.com/.
