The idea for creating Ellie's Drive-In came from a web article I saw one day in the spring of 2006.  It chronicled someone who had created his own backyard theater and it sounded very interesting.  I was immediately enthralled with the idea of having my own backyard theater.  I knew it wouldn't be too difficult to create since I already had the equipment and would just need to build the screen.  Surprusingly enouch, when I mentioned the idea to my wife, she thought it was a great idea!  What I thought would be my biggest hurdle turned out to be just the opposite.

The inspiration and invaluable information I needed to create Ellie's Drive-In came from the website BackyardTheater.com.  This site is filled with devoted fans and creators of their own backyard theaters across the country.  Everyone at this site is very willing and eager to help answer any questions anyone might have.  WIthout this invaluable resource, ELlie's Drive-In would never have come to fruition.  If you are interested ine xploring the possibilities of having your own backyard theater, definitely head over to that site and visit the forums to meet up with the other users.

 

 

Click this image to view my write up of Ellie's Drive-In at the BackyardTheater.com website.

Our inaugeral showing was at our daughter, Ellie's, first birthday party in August 2006.  We had a '50s themed party and showed Grease on the screen.  Unfortunately it started to rain about halfway through the movie and we had to cut if short, but it was still a huge hit with everyone who was there.

Hopefully we will be able to have a lot more showings this year and the summers to come.  We want to use it as a way to encourage neighborly interaction and as a way to get to know all the other families in our neighborhood.