Community helping to rebuild the Ruskin Family Drive-In after Hurricane Milton left it in ruins

On By Yukito

RUSKIN, Florida. – The Ruskin Family Drive-In is a community favorite that has been entertaining residents for decades. But after the hurricane, Milton was left in ruins, nearly destroyed by devastating winds.

The owner of the driveway, Karen Freiwald, couldn’t believe it when she first saw the damage. The giant screen was torn apart, the fence destroyed and the trees destroyed.

“I thought it was a war zone,” Freiwald said. “I really think a tornado came through here. It was more than just hurricane winds. I think the tornado passed.”

When reality set in, she told her husband, “It’s finished. We’re moving.”

What happened next was something Freiwald never expected.

Just days after the storm, neighbors and regulars began showing up at the theater to help clean up.

“I’ve been coming here my whole life,” said Richard Harrell, owner of Lawn and Tree Service. “I am 37 years old, I have been coming here since I was a child. It wouldn’t be the same without this place. My children grew up here.”

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“I came and met with them once, and it took one time to build a relationship and a connection,” said Kevin Gonzalez, owner of Ranger Tree Services and More. “I mean, it happened outside of the community because we had it. We suck. We’re just trying to give back. That’s all we can do.”

Thanks to enormous public support, plans are being implemented to rebuild the Ruskin “Drive-In Family”. The plan is not only to renovate it, but to make the 72-year-old theater bigger and better than ever.

“They are receiving donations to rebuild the screen. They are cutting down all these dead trees, trees that have been damaged. We will build new fences. It will be an amazing journey when we come back,” Freiwald explained.

From tragedy to triumph, the community’s involvement in the Ruskin Family Drive-In proves that even in the face of disaster, some things are just too valuable to give up.

“It’s a family matter. “It’s a place where families come together to socialize and have fun,” Freiwald said.

So far, they have raised over $20,000 to rebuild the driveway and will host their annual Trunk and Treat event on Sunday, October 27.

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