Punta Gorda City Marketplace to Morph into Temporary Drive-In Theatre Friday Night

The drive-in movie is one  those iconic symbols that evokes the zeitgeist of an uniquely American moment.   A  time frequently depicted by poodle shirts, leather jackets and soda fountains.  A heartbeat of our history full of exuberance with life in the good old USA when every day was "happy" and the world had been made safe.   At the time the Drive-In was the only affordable way, pre- Netflix and On-demand, for a family to view newer movies together.  For teens of the 50s and 60s, it was a cheap date night,  a first romance.

For the nostalgic of us, the curious, and those just looking for a fun, affordable night out, AMIKids Crossroads .... is recreating this bit of Americana in the center of downtown Punta Gorda not far from where Punta Gorda's original movie theatre was (now Trabue).  This Friday Night (March 21) around sunset (7:30 p.m.) City Marketplace aka the  huge empty space between Marion and Retta will become a theatre under the stars with its first showing, "Despicable Me 2."

The deserted lot that once held some shopping and restaurants, pre-Charley, has been repurposed in a plethora of ways from carnivals to block parties to circuses (most recently).   This latest use will benefit a program that helps kids with troubled pasts become responsible adults.

Interested?  Entry fee is $20 per car load, $5 for walk-ins.