Jude DeLeonardis and her husband John, a pediatrician, know families are going stir crazy from the state’s near lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic. And they think they can help -- by opening New Jersey’s only drive-in movie theater, which the DeLeonardises own.
Getting the attention of state officials who can give them permission has proven difficult. Jude has reached out to the governor’s office and other local representatives through the internet, phone calls and a handwritten letter.
“Our hands are tied behind our backs and our mouths are taped,” she said.
Things got even more frustrating this week when she heard that a company doing pop-up drive-in movie experiences was planning to start operating in a couple of weeks.
“I have a real drive-in and I’m not open,” she said. “I have restrooms I can monitor. I can do contactless food and beverage orders. We’ve had that capability for several years. People can order and pay through smart devices.”
The DeLeonardises bought the once-abandoned Delsea Drive-in 16 years ago and run it more as a labor of love than a money-making enterprise.
“It takes everything we have to keep that thing going and it’s so disheartening to hear someone is opening a drive-in, in a park, when I’m mandated to be closed,” DeLeonardis said.
She started reaching out to officials in early April. On Thursday, the mayor of Vineland and Congressman Jefferson Van Drew returned her call, giving her some hope.
“In my opinion, it’s a non-dangerous way of getting back to some kind of normal,” Van Drew said in a phone interview. “It isn’t good for us to be stuck inside all the time.”
Van Drew said his chief of staff has been in touch with Murphy’s chief of staff but no decision has been handed down.
“We’ve really got to open some things up," Van Drew said. “We have to be careful when the cure is worse than the disease.”
The couple has also taken their plight to social media. In a Facebook post on Friday they asked patrons to reach out to the governor’s office to show their support for reopening the Delsea. The governor’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Delsea Drive-in was supposed to open for the season on March 20, a day before Gov. Phil Murphy issued his stay at home order.
Despite having no customers, the DeLeonardises still have a mortgage on the business, obligations to movie studios and a payment due to the state department of tourism for advertising, among other expenses.
“We have enough of a following, I hope, to keep it going and catch up,” DeLeonardis said. “But we’re taking a beating.”
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Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.
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