Debuted August 27, 1947. The theater had a seating area for 200 walk-ins and operator C.B. Hayworth received a citation for his services to veterans by the VFW there.
August 27, 1950 was the launch date for the Hoosac Drive-In with “Mexican Hayride” and “South of St. Louis” on the big screen located on the Adams-North Adams town line. Opened with a capacity for 435 cars on ten ramps. A 36x40' screen was constructed by the original operator, the Boylston Drive-In Corporation circuit.
Opened July 1, 1949, the Jasper businessmen who opened the theater had sit down theater seating for patrons who rode the bus or took cars to the ozoner. Located on the Montgomery Highway, the theater took its original name from adjoining highway 80 as the 80 Drive-In Theatre before becoming the Lincoln Drive-In.
H.A. Parrots launched his 275-car drive-in on September 2, 1948. It was called the Lakeland due to it proximity to the Spirit and Okoboji Lakes. Nearby entertainment also included the Okoboji Speed Bowl where race nights drew loyal crowds. The largest crowd was 2,500 people who came out for a Democratic political rally in 1950. The Drive-In was knocked over in a wind storm in 1952 but rebuilt.
But the ozoner became known for the First Lutheran Church claimed to have the longest-running church services held at a Drive-In beginning at the Lakeland Drive-In on May 22, 1949. Started by Rev. Gordon Smedstrude of the Evangelical Lutheran Church-in in Storm Lake, the practice continued at other northwest Iowa drive-ins including Storm Lake’s Corral Drive-In. Though the drive-in was demolished, the services continued into the 2010s.
And the ozoner had a battle of the bands contests with one of the winning bands discovered at the Lakeland D-I which would go on to the Iowa Music Hall of Fame in The Castels, winner of the 1963 contest.
The Lakeland Drive-In opened for business September 16, 1949 operated by Clair Stuckey and M.H. Scheidler. Capacity was reported at 840 cars with a 60' by 60' screen and Simplex projection.
Joy Theatres' Joy Houck and Jack Pope opened their new build $300,000 685-seat Eastgate Cinema on June 23, 1965. The one million dollar Eastgate Shopping Center had opened March 9, 1961 without a theatre. The theatre’s modern screening facility and presentation allowed it to have reserved-seat road shows including “Doctor Zhivago” in 1966, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in 1968 and “Oliver” in 1969. In 1967, Joy Theatres displays artists renderings of the new twin screen Eastgate Twin Cinema No. 1 & No. 2. But the theatre twinning doesn’t occur until June of 1969. The twins were twinned forming a quad. And then the theater concluded as a second-run discount house.
The Hillcrest Drive-In celebrated its grand opening May 4, 1950 advertising at 2061 E. Court Street in Beatrice, Nebraska. Opening feature was “The Return of October.” Allspice and Anderson constructed the 62 feet by 55 feet wide tower. The ozone could accommodate 408 cars at its opening. The service driveway was built to handle 40 cars to prevent highway backups.
New management came in in 1952 in the form of Sol Frank and Ward Pennington and renamed the ozoner. Re-launching as the Crest Drive-In Theatre on April 8, 1952, the theater showed “Boots Malone.”
Opened in 1949, the 600 car drive-in’s 65 foot high drive-in screen could be seen for miles. Such a success was the Desert Drive-In that the same operators announced a second drive-in constructed in 1952 and launched May 20, 1953 in the 800-car Silver Spur Drive-In. That year, the only city of Yuma fireworks displays approved were at the Mesa D-I and Silver Spur D-I.
Logan, Ohio is the county seat of Hocking County so when Chaekeres Theatre Circuit opened its drive-in theater there, it went with the Hocking Drive-In Theatre. It launched June 18, 1953 with “Too Young to Kiss” and “Wagons West”.
The Valley Drive-In launched August 10, 1948 with Abbott & Costello’s “The Time of Their Lives.“ Over 1,500 people attended that night with 550 cars packing the lot.
The Organ Drive-In began owned by Homer Rowington of the El Paso Amusement Company with spots for just under 600 cars on El Paseo Road. The theater launched September 20, 1948 with the film, “Frontier Gal.” The theater was going to operate year-round but closed in late November re-opening in the March 1949 season though operating year-round thereafter.
The Organ would get competition from the Rocket Drive-In beginning July 20, 1952 when that theatre launched. With audiences a bit thin, beginning in 1953, the Organ Drive-In began to show Spanish-language offerings on select weekdays which proved popular. Under new ownership, the theater changed names from the Organ Drive-In Theatre to the Fiesta Drive-In Theatre on January 16, 1955.
The Fiesta and Rocket would come under a single owner with the Fiesta repositioned as a twin-screen drive-in in the 1960s. Fiesta Screen One had 583 cars and Screen No. 2 had 458 spaces. The Rocket would close. The Aggie Drive-In would open in 1966 to challenge the Fiesta under Lamar Gwaitney. But Video Independent Theatres (VIT) took on the Fiesta and the Aggie. In 1972, it would add the Video Twin Theatre in front of the Fiesta and the two twin-screeners co-existed for around seven years.
Though the family states that they opened in 1953, the Blue Ridge Drive-In Theatre launched July 4, 1952. Then July 4, 1976, Stanley Mackes and family which had run the drive-in from their land added the Blue Ridge Flea Market. The Flea Market would last for decades and became an even more phenomenal success than the drive-in theater which eventually closed.
The first show for the Lincoln Drive-In appears to be on June 11, 1949 with Roy Rogers “On the Old Spanish Trail” when its first advertisements appear and run regularly to what appears to be its final showing on November 14, 1971. The final screenings are “Murder of Rue Morgue,” “Scream and Scream Again,” and “The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant.” If the closing features are correct, that’s a noble way for an ozoner to go. And for several years, the Lincoln Drive-In advertises a weekend flea market following its termination of outdoor films.
Thanks much! Yes, there was a report on crime in the heartland in U.S. News. Unrelated to the article, the West-Vue’s address was 1950 West 1st Street just west of North Meridian Road in Newton. It was replaced by a trailer court.
Launched June 2, 1950 by Thomas and Paul Kerrigan who were also debuting their Hi-Way Drive-In in Frackville, PA at the same time.
Launched June 2, 1950, the Kerrigans also launched the Harrisburg Drive-In in Lower Paxton at the same time.
Grand opening was August 22, 1950.
Debuted August 27, 1947. The theater had a seating area for 200 walk-ins and operator C.B. Hayworth received a citation for his services to veterans by the VFW there.
August 27, 1950 was the launch date for the Hoosac Drive-In with “Mexican Hayride” and “South of St. Louis” on the big screen located on the Adams-North Adams town line. Opened with a capacity for 435 cars on ten ramps. A 36x40' screen was constructed by the original operator, the Boylston Drive-In Corporation circuit.
Opening day was June 9, 1950.
Opened July 1, 1949, the Jasper businessmen who opened the theater had sit down theater seating for patrons who rode the bus or took cars to the ozoner. Located on the Montgomery Highway, the theater took its original name from adjoining highway 80 as the 80 Drive-In Theatre before becoming the Lincoln Drive-In.
H.A. Parrots launched his 275-car drive-in on September 2, 1948. It was called the Lakeland due to it proximity to the Spirit and Okoboji Lakes. Nearby entertainment also included the Okoboji Speed Bowl where race nights drew loyal crowds. The largest crowd was 2,500 people who came out for a Democratic political rally in 1950. The Drive-In was knocked over in a wind storm in 1952 but rebuilt.
But the ozoner became known for the First Lutheran Church claimed to have the longest-running church services held at a Drive-In beginning at the Lakeland Drive-In on May 22, 1949. Started by Rev. Gordon Smedstrude of the Evangelical Lutheran Church-in in Storm Lake, the practice continued at other northwest Iowa drive-ins including Storm Lake’s Corral Drive-In. Though the drive-in was demolished, the services continued into the 2010s.
And the ozoner had a battle of the bands contests with one of the winning bands discovered at the Lakeland D-I which would go on to the Iowa Music Hall of Fame in The Castels, winner of the 1963 contest.
This $250,000 ozoner launched November 3, 1949 by Tom Huntington of the Vogue and Seville Theatres. The 70' high and 150' wide tower was impressive.
The Lakeland Drive-In opened for business September 16, 1949 operated by Clair Stuckey and M.H. Scheidler. Capacity was reported at 840 cars with a 60' by 60' screen and Simplex projection.
Joy Theatres' Joy Houck and Jack Pope opened their new build $300,000 685-seat Eastgate Cinema on June 23, 1965. The one million dollar Eastgate Shopping Center had opened March 9, 1961 without a theatre. The theatre’s modern screening facility and presentation allowed it to have reserved-seat road shows including “Doctor Zhivago” in 1966, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” in 1968 and “Oliver” in 1969. In 1967, Joy Theatres displays artists renderings of the new twin screen Eastgate Twin Cinema No. 1 & No. 2. But the theatre twinning doesn’t occur until June of 1969. The twins were twinned forming a quad. And then the theater concluded as a second-run discount house.
The Hillcrest Drive-In celebrated its grand opening May 4, 1950 advertising at 2061 E. Court Street in Beatrice, Nebraska. Opening feature was “The Return of October.” Allspice and Anderson constructed the 62 feet by 55 feet wide tower. The ozone could accommodate 408 cars at its opening. The service driveway was built to handle 40 cars to prevent highway backups.
New management came in in 1952 in the form of Sol Frank and Ward Pennington and renamed the ozoner. Re-launching as the Crest Drive-In Theatre on April 8, 1952, the theater showed “Boots Malone.”
Built in the Fall of 1950, the drive-in launched in 1951.
August 12, 1949 was opening night. The Diamond State Roller Rink opened in 1954 adding to the entertainment on the property.
Launched May 20, 1953 with the films “Pony Express” and “The Girls of Pleasure Island.”
Opened in 1949, the 600 car drive-in’s 65 foot high drive-in screen could be seen for miles. Such a success was the Desert Drive-In that the same operators announced a second drive-in constructed in 1952 and launched May 20, 1953 in the 800-car Silver Spur Drive-In. That year, the only city of Yuma fireworks displays approved were at the Mesa D-I and Silver Spur D-I.
Logan, Ohio is the county seat of Hocking County so when Chaekeres Theatre Circuit opened its drive-in theater there, it went with the Hocking Drive-In Theatre. It launched June 18, 1953 with “Too Young to Kiss” and “Wagons West”.
The Valley Drive-In launched August 10, 1948 with Abbott & Costello’s “The Time of Their Lives.“ Over 1,500 people attended that night with 550 cars packing the lot.
The Organ Drive-In began owned by Homer Rowington of the El Paso Amusement Company with spots for just under 600 cars on El Paseo Road. The theater launched September 20, 1948 with the film, “Frontier Gal.” The theater was going to operate year-round but closed in late November re-opening in the March 1949 season though operating year-round thereafter.
The Organ would get competition from the Rocket Drive-In beginning July 20, 1952 when that theatre launched. With audiences a bit thin, beginning in 1953, the Organ Drive-In began to show Spanish-language offerings on select weekdays which proved popular. Under new ownership, the theater changed names from the Organ Drive-In Theatre to the Fiesta Drive-In Theatre on January 16, 1955.
The Fiesta and Rocket would come under a single owner with the Fiesta repositioned as a twin-screen drive-in in the 1960s. Fiesta Screen One had 583 cars and Screen No. 2 had 458 spaces. The Rocket would close. The Aggie Drive-In would open in 1966 to challenge the Fiesta under Lamar Gwaitney. But Video Independent Theatres (VIT) took on the Fiesta and the Aggie. In 1972, it would add the Video Twin Theatre in front of the Fiesta and the two twin-screeners co-existed for around seven years.
Opened May 12, 1966 launching with the film, “Charade.” Closed in 1993.
Grand opening was May 25, 1948 with “The Perils of Pauline.”
Opened June 13, 1950 with “12:00 High”
Though the family states that they opened in 1953, the Blue Ridge Drive-In Theatre launched July 4, 1952. Then July 4, 1976, Stanley Mackes and family which had run the drive-in from their land added the Blue Ridge Flea Market. The Flea Market would last for decades and became an even more phenomenal success than the drive-in theater which eventually closed.
The first show for the Lincoln Drive-In appears to be on June 11, 1949 with Roy Rogers “On the Old Spanish Trail” when its first advertisements appear and run regularly to what appears to be its final showing on November 14, 1971. The final screenings are “Murder of Rue Morgue,” “Scream and Scream Again,” and “The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant.” If the closing features are correct, that’s a noble way for an ozoner to go. And for several years, the Lincoln Drive-In advertises a weekend flea market following its termination of outdoor films.
Thanks much! Yes, there was a report on crime in the heartland in U.S. News. Unrelated to the article, the West-Vue’s address was 1950 West 1st Street just west of North Meridian Road in Newton. It was replaced by a trailer court.