Lanesboro Drive-In
379 N. Main Street,
Lanesboro,
MA
01237
379 N. Main Street,
Lanesboro,
MA
01237
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Boxoffice, Jan. 8, 1979: “William and Marjorie Baumgartner of Dalton, Mass., have purchased complete properties in Lanesboro on which are located the Pittsfield and Sunset drive-ins. The underskyers were previously owned by Cates Enterprises of Cambridge. The Sunset will be renamed the Lanesboro Drive-In and will be devoted to family entertainment.”
The concession building is definitely still there, probably used for equipment storage for the sport fields or a club house/facility.
It may be a park now, but the Google Street view from August of 2017 shows what appears to be the marquee still standing and the building that housed the projection booth has either been repurposed or something built exactly in the same spot.
Began in July of 1947 as the Sunset Park Auto Theatre. Major improvements led to a grand re-opening as the New Sunset Park Auto Theatre August 24, 1948. In 1950, the theatre changed to its final name of Sunset Drive-In Theater.
The Sunset’s 30th year proved to be its most challenging. A back tax collection issue led to the ozoner failing to get a license to operate in April of 1977. Once that was resolved in early May, the Sunset was back in business. But playing X-rated and R-Rated fare at despite promises to have at least one family feature a month, the Sunset was not a beloved 30-year old member of the community. In December of 1977, that came to a head when the country district attorney ordered troopers to seize the films, “Hot Shots” and “The Double Exposure of Holly” as obscene.
The theater would soldier on, close standing vacant for a period, and then the drive-in land owner would offer the Sunset for the Bill Laston Memorial Park.
It appears athletic fields have been built over this drive-in.
There are several pictures of the remains of this drive-in on its gallery page at Drive-in.com: http://www.drive-ins.com/gallery/matsuns
379 N Main St, Lanesboro, MA 01237
The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in, which is visible on Google Earth using historic aerial imagery.
Biked by here the other day en route to Mt. Greylock’s summit and caught this drive-in. It’s on the left side just after Lake Pontusac and right before the town center. The ticket booths are still in front but the bulk of the property has fill on site. Must have been cool with the lake behind it, cooling off the patrons.