Movie’s Over: Ceres drive-in theater will not reopen this year, or ever again

The era of the drive-in theater is over, and it’s not coming back. Owners of the Ceres Theatre & Flea Market — the region’s last drive-in — have confirmed that the show will not go on. They’ve put the property up for sale.

The drive-in had entertained families since 1948. It offered double features during warm-weather months, charging by the car load.

Atwater resident Megan Brudzinski said her parents started taking her to the Ceres drive-in when she was 8. “It was just a fun time,” she said. “It was a family thing. I’m disappointed that it’s closing. There’s not many drive-ins around any more.”

Charlie Leffingwell said he and his wife went to the Ceres drive-in a few times each season.

“I thought it was neat when I moved to Modesto that the one here was still open,” he said. “It’s kind of a nostalgic thing. But we enjoyed being outside. It’s a whole different genre than going to an indoor theater where it’s crowded.”

The site has four entrance and exit points, which was important back in the days when as many as 600 cars poured out after movies ended.

Fewer than 500 remain nationwide, according to DriveInTheater.com, which lists thousands of defunct theaters, including Modesto’s McHenry Drive-In and Prescott Drive-In, Turlock’s Lucky Drive-In and Merced’s Starlite Drive-In.

And if you aren’t interested in the latest “blockbuster” remake, you will still have a hard time enjoying some of your favorite local Great American pasttimes…

Valley cities’ seasonal activities getting some trims

As city governments continue to look for ways to cut back their budgets, some of the pastimes of summer — softball games, day camps, recreation center games — are among the targets.

Modesto is making significant cuts to its recreation programs.

In Modesto, the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department needs to cut the equivalent of 10¾ full-time positions for a savings of $1.2 million in the budget year that starts July 1. Director Julie Hannon said that will mean cuts at the city’s recreation centers, which will operate six hours per day rather than eight.

“Additionally, the summer camp programs will be eliminated along with the Graceada Park program and the Youth Commission,” she said. The city is considering looking for a private operator to handle its sports leagues.

With money so scarce, cities including Modesto and Turlock have dropped their scholarship programs, which helped low-income families pay for classes and camps. Both departments are seeking grants and trying to get donations for scholarship funds.

“Rundown parks might be the first thing people notice if Stanislaus County leaders follow the advice of their money experts.”

Stanislaus County Board studies cuts from park upkeep to cemeteries

[Garth Stapley, June 9, 2010]

Faced with losing $18 million from their general fund, county supervisors are expected to weigh recommendations such as:

  • Frank Raines Regional Park would be open only on weekends. Its Deer Creek Camp Recreation Hall would be boarded up and no longer available to rent.
  • County officials would plan few or no maintenance projects at the Kiwanis Youth Camp, and would all but ignore the Roberts Ferry, French Bar and La Grange cemeteries, repairing vandalism only when “essential to health or safety.”
  • Even the county’s most visible public spaces would suffer reduced maintenance, including Tenth Street Place, the courthouse lawn in downtown Modesto, the old Scenic hospital, the Denair Amtrak station, the former Modesto City Hall behind the Gallo Arts Center, and grounds around the coroner’s office on Oakdale Road, north of Scenic Drive.
  • After-school and summer programs run by the county’s Police Activities League could disappear from Parklawn and Salida parks.

The dismal outlook for parks is just an example of service slashing among the county’s 27 departments. Leaders are studying an array of potential cuts, including reducing library hours, closing some offices a few days a year and closing a 64-bed jail wing.

Bleak times will force county government to reinvent itself, leaders say. “We know we have to restructure and reduce service levels because we know 2010-11 is going to be worse,” Nino said.

Are there ways to increase the options we have for providing recreational services and enhancing the lifestyles of Modesto and area citizens? How can we infuse more play into our own individual lives, and help other get out and play? In which areas can community involvement improve a bleak situation?

 

 

LEISURE CHALLENGE