Ceres Drive-In Theater Re-opens

CERES – After many years of sitting inactive, the Ceres Drive-In reopened over the weekend to a sell out crowd.

“This place was a junkyard when we took it over,” said Mark Stotzer. “We had to completely clean it out, everything from old boats to pallets.”

The theater infrastructure sat unused for several years. A fire in the summer of 2010 destroyed the snack bar, projection room and restrooms. It took Stotzer six weeks to rehabilitate the property, resurface the screen and get it ready for showtime.

Friday, families enjoyed a showing of the Disney movie “Frozen.” The opening packed out the property.

“I have a family, all of my employees have families, so it’s really bad when we have to drive to Sacramento to enjoy a true drive-in movie,” Stotzer said. “We were also looking for something outside of the box to keep our employees working.”

Stotzer, who works in the live event industry, normally hires several people during the busy concert season. COVID-19 had different plans, but he thinks the drive-in project is a good idea for both his employees and the community.

Friday was proof of concept in attendance numbers. Saturday packed in classic cars to the facility with a showing of American Graffiti, and Sunday held a showing of Marvel Studios’ Avengers.

During the month of October, several classic horror films are planned for the lineup, as well as family friendly movies every Friday night.

“This gives everyone a chance to get out under the stars and have a good time.”

Tickets and showtimes can be found at https://www.cerescruisein.com/