George Friedman once said, “A century is about events, a decade is about people.”

That is certainly true when it comes to the Highway 2 Community Drive-in Theater in Manistique. After all, some things are worth saving — especially a good, old-fashioned slice of Americana.

Throughout the years, the greater majority of drive-in theaters in the Upper Peninsula have gone the way of the dodo. Today, only one remains — the Highway 2 Community Drive-in Theater in Manistique, which is operated by the U.P. Film Union.

The group’s website states that the U.P. Film Union got its start in the spring of 2016 when Don Erickson had the idea of trying to organize an outdoor community movie event.

Coincidentally, he mentioned the idea to an acquaintance, who happened to own the old drive-in property outside of Manistique and suggested using the screen there for the community movie event.

The following spring, Erickson met Eric Sherbinow at a community meeting and mentioned that he was working on a project at the old drive-in.

Sherbinow long had an interest in drive-in theaters and had sought to purchase one years earlier and the idea of being involved in a drive-in event was too much to resist, so he asked Erickson if he could help.

That is when the U.P. Film Union unofficially came into being.

This year marks the 10th year since this dream came to fruition, and the organizers could not be more grateful to have made it to this point.

“What it really means to me is that we are doing something really cool for people,” said Sherbinow, U.P. Film Union president. “It means that we are preserving a piece of real Americana. It means we are keeping something that we absolutely love alive and I feel so fortunate to be a part of it.”

Erickson, U.P. Film Union vice president, said that while drive-ins have existed in other countries, the concept is as uniquely American as baseball and apple pie.

“I often find myself contemplating how lucky I am to be involved with the Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater,” he said. “Once a thriving business that could be found in all corners of the United States, there are now barely 300 drive-in theaters left. Only 300 left and one of those 300 is right here in our beautiful U.P. We understand and appreciate the significance of our humble, little drive-in theater.”

To Sherbinow, it still feels surreal that an idea all those years ago has snowballed into what it is today.

“It is shocking to think that we have been able to make this work for this long and that it is still going, maybe stronger than ever,” he said. “If you would have told us back then that we’d be talking with you now this many years later, we would have thought you were crazy.”

Erickson said that one of the highlights of running the drive-in has been seeing families coming together in such a wholesome way.

“No one seems to be glued to their smartphones,” he said. “Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Before the movies begin, I’ve seen families throwing footballs, playing cornhole and even playing an intense game of chess. People have fun when they attend the drive-in, and that’s why we do what we do.”

For more information on the Highway 2 Community Drive-In Theater, visit www.upfilmunion.org.

This week, we published the full 2025 season schedule for the Highway 2 Community Drive-in Theater. If you have never been to the drive-in, this is a great opportunity to do so.

This group is one that is more than worthy of our support, and one we’d like to see continue thriving in the years to come.