McHenry Drive-In Plans On Opening May 1 with Strict Guidelines

McHenry Outdoor Theater announced a plan for opening on May 1 that will allow families to enjoy a movie during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first double-feature will be The Flinstones and Jurassic Park.

Here are the current plans;

Vehicle Parking:

Vehicles will be spaced out 10’-15’+ from other vehicles in order to allow for proper social distancing. We used to park 2 cars in-between speaker poles. We will now only park one in the center of the poles. Patrons will NOT be allowed to sit outside their vehicle to view the movies. We are also asking for customers to remain inside their vehicles at all times, or at least as much as possible. We will not be enforcing vehicle height/speaker pole color parking protocol. I am going to have to rely on all of you to do your best to find a parking spot in which you have the best view. That should not be difficult since a sell-out will now be at 300 vehicles rather than the typical 750 cars. This is another reason to arrive early.

Concessions:

We will NOT have our concession stand or kitchen accessible to the public. However, we may be able to offer something akin to "curb-side pick-up" where we would use our golf cart to deliver you your snacks. I'll keep you updated on that.

Restrooms & Sanitation:

Restrooms (as well as various locations on the property) will have hand sanitizer and plenty of soap available in convenient locations. The restrooms will be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly at multiple times during the evening- at least every 15 minutes. There will be a bathroom attendant on staff whose sole job is to limit the bodies in the restrooms in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines (bathroom attendant will have on a mask and gloves at all times. There will also be dispensers for “toilet seat guards” in every bathroom stall that we encourage you to use. Port-A-Potties will no longer be used here for the time being. However, I will have additional outdoor handwashing stations available.

 

We will be HEAVILY stocked on hand soap and sanitizer. Masks and/or gloves will also be made available to the public if you would like them.

Staff Safety:

We will all be working in segmented shifts (3 shifts per night as well as one day on, one day off). ALL employees will be wearing and changing gloves as well as performing mandatory handwashing sessions at least every 15-20 minutes. Employees will NOT be allowed to eat at the facility.

 

Employees will be wearing long-sleeve t-shirts and hats. We will use a different color combination for Friday and Saturday night and expand upon that once we're open all week. That way – if an employee works a consecutive Friday and Saturday – I will know that they are not wearing the same shirt and hat two days in a row (without washing them).

Audio Rentals:

We will still rent out radios, but it will be done at the Box Office. When we collect them at the end of the evening, we will wipe them down with sanitary wipes and place them in a plastic container for 1 week in an effort to disinfect them thoroughly before they get re-used. I would highly recommend bringing your own radio (it will also save you $5.00 rental fee).

McHenry Outdoor Theater says there are even more measures and precautions in place to provide the safest and most sanitary for families to enjoy a movie during this unprecedented time. You can their entire post here.

JB Love is ½ of  Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram.