Northern Michigan’s Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theater was opened by L.O. Griffin and D.O. Gregory on July 4, 1953. Griffin and Gregory also owned three indoor theaters in Northern Michigan. Opening night featured The Greatest Show On Earth, and Bride of the Gorilla on the big screen. The name “Cherry Bowl” was derived from the theater’s proximity to the Traverse City area, which is known for growing the majority of the state’s cherry production.

Hollywood began producing films in a widescreen format called CinemaScope in 1953. This new format required theaters to convert to a wider screen. The Cherry Bowl’s original screen was widened for CinemaScope movies in early 1958. The first CinemaScope movie advertised was April Love, which played at the Cherry Bowl on May 16, 1958. Amazingly, this screen and tower have survived many harsh Northern Michigan winters, and are still in use today.

Owner L.O. Griffin passed away in 1959, and his wife Jean took over the theater. She continued operating it until 1996, when she sold it to Harry and Laura Clark. Mr. Clark passed away in 2012, and his wife and family continue the family-friendly operation.

With the advent of digital projection, the Cherry Bowl was facing possible closure due to the extreme cost of the digital conversion. In 2013 Honda launched a national campaign called “Project Drive-In” to save 5 threatened drive-in theaters by awarding them free digital projectors. The winning theaters were voted for online by drive-in fans, and fortunately the Cherry Bowl was one of the winners. The popular “Up-North” drive-in now had a new lease on life.

The Cherry Bowl has been a favorite among Northern Michigan vacationers for many years. It is currently the 7th oldest operating drive-in theater in the state of Michigan. And, it reopened for it’s 70th season in the spring of 2022. [©2022 Michigan-Drive-Ins.com 7/10/22]