A tale of two northern Michigan institutions: Cherry Bowl and Lucky Jack’s change hands

The Cherry Bowl Drive-In Theater in Honor and Lucky Jack’s Family Entertainment Center in Traverse City have been in operation together for more than 134 years. However, after changing hands last month, these two longstanding Northern Michigan entertainment companies are heading in opposite directions. One will remain in its current form, with a new owner keen to preserve tradition. The other has permanently closed its doors, and the property is set to become the latest addition to a growing car dealership empire.

Due to the relative rarity of drive-ins, the Cherry Bowl made national headlines in February when it went on the market for $625,000. Accordingly MLiveThe Cherry Bowl is one of only eight drive-ins left in Michigan and the only one in the northern part of the state. Most estimates suggest that there are approximately 300 drive-ins left throughout the United States

For Mindi Jarman, a Lansing-based preschool and kindergarten teacher who left the job a year ago after 15 years, news of the Cherry Bowl’s listing came at a fortuitous time.

“I quit my job because I felt it was time for a change, and since then I’ve mostly been spending time with my dogs and doing nothing,” laughs Jarman. “I was feeling restless and looking for something to do, and when I saw the Cherry Bowl was for sale, I immediately turned to my husband and said, ‘I’ll do that.'”

Jarman and her husband plan to move permanently to Northern Michigan to manage the theater. While they were previously a household in Lansing, the two keep their boat in Frankfort and have spent summers there for years. Jarman even attended her first drive-in movie at the Cherry Bowl. Beyond the love of theater itself, she says The ticker It was her “strong desire to preserve things from the past” that motivated her to purchase the company.

“I have a history degree and a 1966 caravan whose name is Vivian. It’s totally original and we go camping in it all the time,” says Jarman. “I’ve just always been drawn to older things.”

The Cherry Bowl fits the bill: First opening on July 4, 1953, the theater has only had two owners. Spouses Jean and LO Griffin founded the company and Jean continued to run it for decades after her husband died in 1959. In the 1990s, another couple, Laura and Harry Clark, took over the management. When Harry died in 2012, Laura, like Jean before her, continued to devote herself to the theater.

Jarman plans to continue the traditions established by the two owners before her. That means showing new double features throughout the summer — and keeping the films family-friendly, since the Cherry Bowl typically only shows films rated PG-13 and below. Above all, she wants the Cherry Bowl experience to remain the same as it has been for generations.

“Since I took over running the theater, every single person I talk to has a story about the Cherry Bowl,” she says. “People tell me they took their grandchildren there after taking them to the drive-in movie there her Parents. I think, especially in our world today, it’s so important to be able to hold on to these things because they make us feel truly connected.”

Another long-standing local tradition – bowling at Lucky Jack’s in Traverse City – has come to an end after 63 years. Owner David Mohrhardt announced on Facebook last month: “After many failed attempts to sell the center over the past four years to allow bowling to continue at this location, an unexpectedly solid offer came from Serra Auto and the deal was closed on Closed September 18th.” Lucky Jack’s officially closed on September 28th.

The Mohrhardt family has operated a bowling alley in Traverse City since October 1961, when Jack and Evelyn Mohrhardt opened a 24-lane center called Timber Lanes on US-31. Jack and Evelyn’s sons, Mike and David, both came on board full-time over the next decade.

In 1996, the family sold the property to Meijer and Jack retired. However, within a few months, Mike and David had purchased another bowling alley in town and reopened it under the name Timber Lanes. That location, on Garfield Avenue, is now home to Lucky Jack’s Center – but the brothers didn’t change the name until the late 2000s. The rebranding coincided with an expansion to make the business a full-fledged “family entertainment center” with dining, arcade games, laser tag, bumper cars and more. Mike Mohrhardt sold his shares in the business in 2013 and David has been the sole owner since then.

News of Lucky Jack’s closure has sparked backlash on social media, particularly in the local bowling community. Several commenters on Mohrhardt’s post accused the owner of “greed” and claimed he had turned down numerous offers to purchase the business over the years as a bowling alley. When asked about these rumors and why he decided to sell now, Mohrhardt declined to comment and asked The ticker Not to mention him or Lucky Jack in this article.

Serra officials, including Serra Traverse City marketing director and Serra Automotive Chairman Joseph Serra, did not respond to inquiries about their plans for the Lucky Jack’s property. Serra already has several car dealerships on Garfield Avenue, including right next to the bowling center.

A new retailer at the Lucky Jack location wouldn’t be Serra’s first big growth move in Traverse City this year. In January, Serra bought Bill Marsh Auto Group. The family business, which had three dealerships in northern Michigan, had existed since 1982.