Yarmouth Entertainment Center Approved

It seems like forever since we've been able to attend concerts and the movies, but things appear to be changing in Yarmouth. The Cape Cod town is on the brink of launching what could be a new way of presenting and hosting live events in the COVID era.

The Select Board in Yarmouth has approved a partnership with Innovation Arts and Entertainment, contingent upon a public hearing scheduled for Tuesday night. The partnership would allow IAE to utilize the site of the former West Yarmouth Drive-In to show movies and live entertainment on two massive 40-foot LED screens. The screens would allow movies to be seen in broad daylight.

Adam Troy Epstein is the CEO of the company. He said that the quality of these two huge screens is comparable to the JumboTron at Gillette Stadium, which anyone who has ever been to a Patriots game or other event Foxboro event can tell you is as HD as it gets.

Epstein said the plan is to do much more than just show drive-in movies. He has visions of live, on-site entertainment that would appear on the large screens similar to many other major concerts.

"We could show live pro sports, comedians, you name it," he said. "We are so excited. This is what we do for a living and we haven't been able to do it for the last three months."

Sound from the movies and performances would all be broadcast on an FM transmitter, containing the sound to the vehicles of the guests. Opening night is scheduled for July 10, and entertainment will happen through at least Labor Day weekend.

"We're trying to replicate the major concert experience, in a COVID safe environment," Epstein said. "We want to make sure people are not going to feel like they're sitting in their cars. We believe live entertainment is a social experience, so you'll be able to see other people and applaud at the show, but you'll be able to do it safely."

Local food trucks will be selling food during the events.

For the past several years, the company has also produced the Martha's Vineyard Music Series, which is comprised of 25 different live shows at The Loft and the Performing Arts Center at the High School.

The company also had plans to present the Beach Road Weekend Music Festival in July. This year's lineup would have included Norah Jones, Beck, Guster, and many more had it not been canceled due to COVID-19.