Published September 3, 2020
By MICHAEL GEOFFRION SCANNELL
NORTH READING — If we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s that it doesn’t pay to take anything for granted.
The Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce organized an annual Town Day each of the past three years. But not this year; with gathering sizes limited and social distancing requirements to maintain, that event had to be canceled. Undeterred, chamber members came up with an alternative plan. They decided to host a pop-up drive-in movie!
Seems simple enough, one would think… After the Town Day idea was discarded and the Movie Night adopted, amid COVID-19 health concerns, social distancing requirements, rule changes about lawn chairs and the elimination of port-o-potties, and finally, a rainy forecast for the original scheduled date of Saturday, August 29, it finally happened on Sunday, August 30 at the Teradyne parking lot off Concord Street.
As soon as I heard about it I said, “count me in!” My kids are grown but have never been to a drive-in. All of the local ones had shut down before they were born. So, I invited my kids, Declan and Brigid. It turned out that my daughter had a prior commitment. My son Declan and his partner Sam were able to “join” my wife Kathryn and me, socially distanced in their own car in the next space over from us.
Local couple Greg and Courtney Mello also attended the screening with their two sons, Glenn, who is 11 and starting sixth grade, and Calvin, who is 8 and entering third grade.
“The boys said that they are excited to see the movie as well as hopefully see some friends nearby,” their mother told me the night before the big show. “They are curious about the movie, as they’ve never seen it, and also what it will be like to watch a drive-in movie. They’re obviously excited to eat some of their favorite snacks, too!”
Courtney said they were bringing their boys’ favorite popcorn and that she had also picked up some movie theater candy as a fun treat.
When I contacted the Mellos the day after the movie, Courtney recalled, “We had a really nice time last night. We went with a few other families and were able to get parking spots all in the same row. The boys loved the movie – it was a great choice!”
As for the boys, older brother Glenn thought, “The huge screen was awesome and the movie was really funny!”
Calvin said, “It was fun to have a movie night with friends. The Ferrari was so cool!”
When I asked Courtney Mello how things were going for her family in these difficult times, she responded, “We are doing our best to get used to this new normal of wearing masks when going out. We feel most comfortable doing outdoor activities at this point. We are grateful to have been able to swim and go to the beach as a family this summer. Our boys are also playing baseball, which has been a great way for them to see their friends and socialize in a safe, outdoor setting.”
She went on with a positive thought, “Social distancing hasn’t been easy, but events like tonight, as well as birthday parades, graduation parades, etc., have helped us to maintain the connection we feel with our community.”
My family also had a great time. My son Declan put it like this: “The drive-in experience was really different. We got to be comfortable and feel secure about the virus, but still see a movie on the big screen and know that everyone else was seeing it too. I’d definitely go back to a drive-in, even after the lockdown ends. I forgot how much I liked that movie…and how much I sympathize with Ferris’s sister!”
Sam’s reaction was similar. “It was the second time in my life I’d ever been to a drive-in, and the first time I’d watched Ferris Bueller all the way through! In this time of distance and isolation it was great to spend time in, sort of, a crowd setting, but the distance requirements both made me feel safe and still a little isolated. Watching Ferris Bueller was a fun escape, but the current situation made Ferris’s exploits seem all the more surreal than usual – he’s going out in crowds? To a restaurant?? To a baseball game??? Without a mask???!? It was both a fun escape and a little bittersweet.”
The event came off without a hitch, right down to the perfect weather.
Representatives of Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce began meeting with town officials a year ago to plan one of their signature events. They originally announced a June date for the 4th Annual North Reading Town Day and had 30 local businesses and organizations register.
“Once COVID hit, we pushed the date to August 29 with the hope that in summer, we optimistically thought outdoor events would be safe,” recalled Chamber Executive Director Lisa Egan.
According to Egan, behind the scenes a group of community-minded volunteers helped at every step. Along with Egan and the chamber’s part-time Executive Assistant Lynn Landis, who was very busy with all of the registrations, changes and refunds this summer, Josh Harrington, owner of JH Insurance Group and a board member of the chamber, was North Reading Town Day Committee Chair turned Outdoor Movie Night Chair.
Additionally, Kathy McConnell of Kathy McConnell Marketing and Matt Quinlan of Classified Realty became the core group organizing the event. All planning was done via Zoom this year, another first.
“By mid-March, when schools and businesses were closing, we quickly realized that hosting an event that attracts thousands of people was not going to happen,” Harrington said. “We brainstormed some ideas and agreed that an outdoor Movie Night, which was a Phase 1-approved activity, would be the safest event we could hold.”
The Movie Night’s signature’s sponsor was The Savings Bank.
Egan said that the chamber announced its Movie Night plans and started selling tickets. They sold 80 tickets in five days. “The event exceeded our expectations and we were sold out within the week,” she said.
Egan and the chamber board were unsure if businesses would be interested or have the ability to sponsor the event, but they were thrilled with the response they received from local businesses. She acknowledges that sponsors received some exposure leading up to the event on social media and visibility during the event, but said, “Ultimately it was because they wanted to be a part of this community event for North Reading. So many were very generous, and it means a lot.”
Harrington said a lot of work went into planning and finding the right site to stage the event. He thanked their host. “Teradyne was very generous and great to work with and they have been a great community partner for the chamber. The lot is accessible and empty on weekend evenings,” he said, adding, “We had a Zoom call with the department heads of North Reading to go over our plan and consult with them.”
Harrington went on to say that Egan also consulted with the Wilmington Board of Health Director because “part of the Teradyne lot is actually in Wilmington.”
Chamber members had to make some changes to the original plan, such as canceling the port-o-potties and hand-washing stations. The Board of Health Directors advised against the use of those at the event, Egan said. Participants were also required to stay inside their vehicles throughout the movie to deter congregating.
But in the end, none of that mattered because “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” provided a great escape for families to take a night off from COVID-19 worries while safely sharing the social experience of an old-fashioned drive-in movie from the comfort of the family car.
