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Join us for a lecture with journalist and author Karen Dybis, who will be sharing insights from her book Ford-Wyoming Drive-in:Cars, Candy & Canoodling.
About the book (from barnesandnoble.com):
"Shortly after World War II, three Dearborn brothers bought a vacant parcel to build a drive-in theater. Local groups opposed them, fearing such a place would elicit “immoral behavior.” But the Clark family persevered to see its movie palace become a Metro Detroit mainstay, hosting celebrities, rock stars and a never-ending line of families with kids in footie pajamas. A handshake transferred ownership to movie magnate Charles Shafer and his business partner, Bill Clark, who expanded the theater to a massive nine screens. But blockbusters and hordes of teens couldn’t mitigate the effects of Detroit’s decline, auto company bankruptcies and Michigan’s economic malaise. Despite it all, the mighty Ford-Wyoming kept the movies showing, bringing a bit of Hollywood glamour to the gritty Motor City."
About our Guest Lecturer:
Karen Dybis is a Metro Detroit writer who has blogged for “Time” magazine, worked the business desk at The Detroit News and jumped on breaking stories for publications including Corp! Magazine, Detroit Unspun and Agence France-Presse newswire. She was born in Bad Axe (where she saw her first drive-in movie in the back of a Suburban), raised in Romeo, worked on Mackinac Island and hangs out in St. Clair Shores. And she is proud to say her two children had their first drive-in movie experience at the Ford-Wyoming.
About our Third Friday Lectures:
Third Friday Lectures are generally held on the third Friday of most months (the fourth Friday for this months event) at Mackenzie House (4735 Cass Ave., Detroit, MI 48201). Our Third Friday Lecture Series is made possible by the generous donations of our members. Its mission is to share the tales of Detroit’s historic buildings, neighborhoods, and architects and build support for historic preservation’s importance in revitalizing our neighborhoods.
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