Families carry on nostalgic summer ritual at Dearborn's Ford-Wyoming Drive-In

As the summer sky begins to change to a warm hue, Lynette LaPointe, of Livonia, springs out of her heavy-duty Ford truck — parked first in line — with cellphone in hand, twisting and turning as she snaps photos of the signs and sights of the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In.

“It’s got all the nostalgia,” said LaPointe, whose customized license plate reads “DRIVEIN.” “I want to keep this place going, so we try to come as often as we can. It’s just such a beautiful place.”

Since 2009, she and her family have visited every drive-in in the state of Michigan, both operational and closed, but they frequent this theater, closer to their home. “I always joke if I win the Powerball I’d replace the old neon lights,” said LaPointe. The lights were part of the renovated original tower for Screen 1, which once contained apartments inside for staff members.  

“Ever since I was a kid, I remember watching every big movie growing up at that theater,” said general manager Aaron Clark, who worked as a cashier during the summer selling tickets at age 7 for his father, Bill Clark, who co-owned the independently operated business.

He and his brothers, along with other family members, have all taken on roles at the drive-in at some point. In 2021, Aaron Clark became a co-owner of the theater with his father, after the pandemic shut down his construction business.

“For many, the drive-in serves as a place for people to come to escape their problems for a couple hours,” Clark said.

“It was always the weekend getaway for my family. For me and my mom, especially. It was a real bonding experience when I was a teenager, despite having my father leave,” said Robert Goodman, of Clearwater, Florida, about the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In as he pushed his son on a swing while waiting for the start of their movie. Goodman returned to his home state of Michigan with his wife and two children, with only two places to visit — and that included the drive-in. “I wanted to make it a point to stop here, because Florida doesn’t have any.”

With the recent trend of releasing movies through streaming services, as well as the closure and sale of other drive-ins in the state, families looking for a convenient spot to carry on this summertime ritual has been a challenge.

“I used to go to the drive-in when I was a kid. We’d sit on top of my dad's van. We saw 'E.T.', we saw 'Star Wars.' There were four of them right in this frickin' area, and now this is the only one that's left,” said Dave Urbanczyk, of Warren, while spinning his daughter Abigail on a merry-go-round as she played with other children before seeing "Despicable Me 4."

Making their way back to their spaces, children began climbing onto the roofs of vehicles as some families gathered in the beds of trucks with snacks in hand. Sounds of '70s rock playing from the theater's audio channel filled the air amid the smells of the concession stand food mixed with the exhaust from cars backing into their spots — and the occasional smell of marijuana smoke.

“This is something that the families did, and they did it all the time. It's a memory I'll never forget. My kids never forgot it. She ain’t never going to forget it. They need drive-ins,” Urbanczyk said.