It’s basically the open field south of the diner. A 2009 aerial doesn’t show anything in the field.
The photo of the screen, which was bolted on a trailer, show it parallel to the road. So, I’m guessing that patrons got out of their vehicles and sat in the grass to watch the movies.
The drive-in appears intact in a 1957 aerial, but by 1965 the screen was gone. The projection booth/concession stand last appeared in a 1968 aerial, but was gone by 1983.
Today, the area is mostly private property with businesses that line its east side. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
There is no way the area was big enough to hold 100 cars, much less 150. Each ramp might have held 20 cars and there are three ramps in total. The one in the back is right next to the cemetery.
There might have been off-site parking for patrons to walk into the area and sit in the chair or benches.
I’m not sure that is the location of the drive-in. The fan-shaped feature shown in the photo looks like a softball field, not a drive-in.
There is no screen or projector booth, but there appears to be a backstop. A baseball field and softball field appear in roughly the same location in a 1983 aerial.
The advertisements on the NY Drive-In site confirms the entrance was next to the Stone Bridge which is at 1170 Main Street, Leeds, NY.
In addition, the information provided on the site says the open air theater opened in 1940 and became a drive-in in 1945. This is backed up by an advert described as the “Grand Opening” on July 26th, 1945.
At 53 Green Lake Road is a small foundation for what may have been the exit sign. There is pipe and conduit present, but I cannot confirm that it has anything to do with the drive-in.
There is an area that I thought was part of the cemetery which may be the drive-in. It looks like it could hold about 50 cars. The screen sat right on the bank with the projection booth bracketed by outdoor seats. The three ramps are unusual because they are parallel and all behind the booth. As if patrons were to get out of their vehicles and sit in the seats.
There is an access road that sits on Main Street which, as funny as it looks, appears to be the entrance. There is what appears to be a small exit road that runs on the north side of the cemetery. But that appears considerably smaller than the access road from Main Street.
Very little is left today. There is a large rock where the projection booth once sat. Faint hints of the parallel ramps, and a small structure on the north side next to the creek that may be the “refreshment stand”.
A 1952 and 1956 aerial does not reveal any area large enough to be a drive-in holding 150 vehicles. Of course, I could be missing something, but is there a more exact location other than Green Lake Road?
A 1963 aerial shows the property almost fully razed with only a hint of a few ramps remaining. The large concrete base for the screen that was present in a 1958 aerial was removed as well.
Normally, a property that is razed like that is being prepped for a large structure. And while a building was constructed on the south edge, most of the property remained vacant or just used for parking a few trailers until about a decade ago.
MichaelKilgore Maybe. There is nothing to disprove the drive-in being the Rainbow. And the other photos of the drive-in are close when comparing them to the 1984 aerial.
The sign however still seems problematic to me.
The 1984 aerial shows the road being the first one in town when coming in from the west. Why name the road when “next right” or “first right” is simpler for out-of-towners?
The marquee indicates that there had to be a parking area near the sign, probably where the picture was taken.
The only candidate I see is the old auto repair shop about 200 feet to the SW of the intersection. The 1984 aerial doesn’t show anything resembling a sign of that size in that location.
And when you go further west, the railroad runs next to the highway with no safe parking visible for miles.
Having said all that, I do believe it is the Rainbow Drive-In. It’s just that the sign does seem off to me.
The marquee is no longer at the corner of Sykes Mountain Avenue and North Main Street. The intersection was transformed and expanded to include a roundabout. The result was that the sign was removed. Where it is now I do not know.
Extremely short-lived.
It’s basically the open field south of the diner. A 2009 aerial doesn’t show anything in the field.
The photo of the screen, which was bolted on a trailer, show it parallel to the road. So, I’m guessing that patrons got out of their vehicles and sat in the grass to watch the movies.
The drive-in must’ve been constructed shortly after the highway as a 1952 aerial shows nothing but trees in the area.
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in demolished with a business located near where the projection booth/concession stand probably stood.
Property is currently home to Fabick CAT. Only the outline and hint of where some of the ramps once existed is all that remains.
A closer address is 3613 S State Rd, Ionia, MI.
This is the address of Bill’s Fireworks which owns the property.
A 2019 Google Street View shows a stage platform where the screen was/is located. Was this an inflatable screen, perhaps?
I’m sorry to hear that the projector was stolen. But I’m wondering why well water issues would close a drive-in?
The concession stand/projection booth “still standing” looks more to be a technicality today. From the overhead view, the roof appears to be gone.
From an August 2022 Google Street View, bushes and trees have engulfed what’s left of the structure.
A closer address is 3777 Peters Mountain Rd, Halifax, PA.
Today, a Giant Food Store sits on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/5csvfyz4
Today, nothing remains of the drive-in. You would never know it was there.
Concession stand/projection booth was still present in a 2008 aerial, but was rubble in a 2009 aerial.
The screen was still present in 2011, but gone by 2013.
A March 2022 Google Street View shows the property to be an RV Park with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The drive-in appears intact in a 1957 aerial, but by 1965 the screen was gone. The projection booth/concession stand last appeared in a 1968 aerial, but was gone by 1983.
Today, the area is mostly private property with businesses that line its east side. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A closer address is 1236 S Ralls Hwy, Floydada, TX.
The address places it right on the property. The drive-in was intact in a 1996 aerial, but was screen was gone by 2004.
Today, it appears to be private property with the projection booth/concession stand still intact. You can also clearly see the ramps.
There is no way the area was big enough to hold 100 cars, much less 150. Each ramp might have held 20 cars and there are three ramps in total. The one in the back is right next to the cemetery.
There might have been off-site parking for patrons to walk into the area and sit in the chair or benches.
I’m not sure that is the location of the drive-in. The fan-shaped feature shown in the photo looks like a softball field, not a drive-in.
There is no screen or projector booth, but there appears to be a backstop. A baseball field and softball field appear in roughly the same location in a 1983 aerial.
I’m not sure that is the drive-in. You can see the same shape in a 1953 aerial which is before the drive-in was built.
Plus, the object at the point or southern end of the shape is way too small to be a screen. You can see that in the 1953 aerial as well.
I don’t know what it is, but there is no screen or projection booth, so it doesn’t appear to be a drive-in at least not in the photo.
Considering that baseball fields were created in the same area as seen in a 1983 aerial, that’s what it may be.
The advertisements on the NY Drive-In site confirms the entrance was next to the Stone Bridge which is at 1170 Main Street, Leeds, NY.
In addition, the information provided on the site says the open air theater opened in 1940 and became a drive-in in 1945. This is backed up by an advert described as the “Grand Opening” on July 26th, 1945.
At 53 Green Lake Road is a small foundation for what may have been the exit sign. There is pipe and conduit present, but I cannot confirm that it has anything to do with the drive-in.
http://www.newyorkdriveins.com/catskillsregion/leeds/leeds.php
A possible address is 1170 Main St, Leeds, NY.
There is an area that I thought was part of the cemetery which may be the drive-in. It looks like it could hold about 50 cars. The screen sat right on the bank with the projection booth bracketed by outdoor seats. The three ramps are unusual because they are parallel and all behind the booth. As if patrons were to get out of their vehicles and sit in the seats.
There is an access road that sits on Main Street which, as funny as it looks, appears to be the entrance. There is what appears to be a small exit road that runs on the north side of the cemetery. But that appears considerably smaller than the access road from Main Street.
Very little is left today. There is a large rock where the projection booth once sat. Faint hints of the parallel ramps, and a small structure on the north side next to the creek that may be the “refreshment stand”.
https://tinyurl.com/3pvb2ps8
A 1952 and 1956 aerial does not reveal any area large enough to be a drive-in holding 150 vehicles. Of course, I could be missing something, but is there a more exact location other than Green Lake Road?
The marquee, which last appeared in an April 2019 Google Street View was removed by March 2021.
A closer address is 4814 NY-23, Norwich, NY.
The drive-in was intact in 1982, but was totally gone by 1995.
https://tinyurl.com/3wmmvjkm
A closer address is 3178 20, Richfield, NY.
The property is mostly empty with a propane company occupying a small area. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/5n8sfnwp
A closer address is 1882 New Scotland Rd, Slingerlands, NY.
The property is now a housing edition. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/yzsh9rhn
A 1963 aerial shows the property almost fully razed with only a hint of a few ramps remaining. The large concrete base for the screen that was present in a 1958 aerial was removed as well.
Normally, a property that is razed like that is being prepped for a large structure. And while a building was constructed on the south edge, most of the property remained vacant or just used for parking a few trailers until about a decade ago.
A closer address is 245 U.S. Hwy 190, Eldorado, TX.
This places it around where the screen and entrance road use to be.
A June 2022 Google Street View shows what’s left of the concession stand/projector booth which is a big pile of wood.
https://tinyurl.com/2u858yjt
A closer address is 411 South Amherst Road, Earth, TX.
Google Maps has recently added the address, which sits right on the property.
https://tinyurl.com/ym8jcx6c
Looks like the foundation of the ticket booth is still present on what’s left of the entrance road.
MichaelKilgore Maybe. There is nothing to disprove the drive-in being the Rainbow. And the other photos of the drive-in are close when comparing them to the 1984 aerial.
The sign however still seems problematic to me.
The 1984 aerial shows the road being the first one in town when coming in from the west. Why name the road when “next right” or “first right” is simpler for out-of-towners?
The marquee indicates that there had to be a parking area near the sign, probably where the picture was taken.
The only candidate I see is the old auto repair shop about 200 feet to the SW of the intersection. The 1984 aerial doesn’t show anything resembling a sign of that size in that location. And when you go further west, the railroad runs next to the highway with no safe parking visible for miles.
Having said all that, I do believe it is the Rainbow Drive-In. It’s just that the sign does seem off to me.
The marquee is no longer at the corner of Sykes Mountain Avenue and North Main Street. The intersection was transformed and expanded to include a roundabout. The result was that the sign was removed. Where it is now I do not know.