Video: Commerce Marquee May Be Restored

The Commerce Drive-In of Walled Lake MI opened in July 1956 and closed after the 1990 season. Its marquee sat there rusting away for a couple of decades, then got tagged by graffiti this past January. That was the last straw for area real estate agent Val McFarland, who launched a GoFundMe campaign to restore this landmark.

In a story in the Oakland Press, McFarland said it would cost about a quarter million dollars(!) to get the full electrical system working again, but for now they’re shooting for $50,000 to light it up and give it a fresh coat of paint. Best of all, Detroit’s News Leader WXYZ posted a video showing what things look like now, giving me an excuse to embed it for you here. Especially if you’re anywhere in the neighborhood or remember going to the Commerce, pitch in to help this maintain this bit of drive-in theater history.