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What's new
6/30/08:
As you may have guessed, the Mayberry Drive-In and Diner has not exactly proceeded on schedule. The last target date offered was 2008; new photos on the Mayberry page depict the progress thus far.
• Photos are now posted on the Talley (Louisa, Va.); South (Danville, Va.); and Arvonia (Va.) pages.
• Also, new, higher-quality shots of the 220 (Martinsville, Va.) and Grove (Blackstone, Va.) are now up. Look for more upgrades (larger images, better scans) as the site overhaul continues.
6/25/08:
The Cumberland has relaunched its website.
5/8/08:
Take a real "trip down memory lane" with one of the drive-in-building pioneers of the Mid-Atlantic, who recalls his career installing the wiring and speakers at over two dozen drive-ins in Virginia, Maryland and elsewhere in the '50s and '60s.
4/25/08:
Potential great news for Southside Virginia drive-in fans: the Blackstone Courier-Record reports that the long-dead Grove Drive-In could be brought back in the near future. Mark Franks, a resident of nearby Crewe, has a contract to buy the property and could have a new screen up in the next few months if all goes well. We also hear that another aspiring DI operator has leased the Keysville with an eye on renovating and reopening it.
11/20/07:
Very sad news: the owners of the Diamond State property have opted not to renew the lease, which will make the 2008 season its last one.
9/5/07:
Congratulations to the Moonlite on being named to the National Register of Historic Places! It's one of only three drive-in theatres in the country to hold that designation.
7/25/07:
Disappointing news: some unexpected red tape has caused the Hager's rebirth to be postponed until spring 2008 at earliest. Article linked from page.
6/20/07:
Added two 1967 photos depicting the Rockville Drive-In.
6/10/07:
Disgusting: some thieves made off with about fifty in-car speakers from Hull's late last month. The theatre is looking at a cost of over $1300 to replace them.
6/5/07:
Update on the Mayberry Drive-In: a June groundbreaking and an August or September opening are planned. More in this article.
5/2/07:
The Park Place has a new website.
3/26/07:
The capacity for daylight movie presentation is the Grail that has eluded drive-in operators since Richard Hollingshead's day -- yet the York Drive-In claims to, finally, possess an effective technology for it. News article linked from the York page.
3/14/07:
It's a go! The Mayberry Drive-In Theatre and Diner was unanimously approved by the Bedford County Board of Supervisors. The developers maintain hopes for a July opening. More info on the drive-in complex can be found here.
3/10/07:
Added a 1977 photo of suburban Baltimore's Valley Drive-In.
2/19/07:
Lotsa info about the Harrisonburg and Roth's drive-ins, plus more photos
of the Harrisonburg (including one taken inside the old snack bar), courtesy of an ex-employee of both theatres. Also, a not-happy update on the current state of the Keysville.
1/29/07:
Another drive-in-turned-flea market destined for redevelopment: Baltimore's North Point. See
page for link to article.
1/26/07:
Lynchburg's Fort Twin Drive-In (now Flea Market) appears to be on the verge of disappearance; link to
newspaper article added to page.
1/21/07:
So far, so good: the Bedford County, Va. Planning Comission unanimously approved rezoning
for the proposed drive-in in Moneta. Next stop: a public hearing before the final
decision.
12/19/06: Links added to a pair of newspaper
articles saluting the departed Fredericksburg
Drive-In.
12/16/06: More information on
the proposed Virginia drive-in mentioned below.
11/13/06: Another
new drive-in in Virginia? This local news item makes mention of a combination drive-in
theatre/diner under proposal for Moneta, in the growing Smith Mountain Lake
resort area, possibly arriving as soon as July '07 if it's approved.
8/17/06: Hull's just got some major national
publicity as the subject of Wednesday's NBC Nightly News
segment on drive-ins. Go here to
watch it online.
8/15/06: A
great first-person account of the Ranch Drive-In's all-night Halloween
horrorthons of yore is posted. Also, authentic photos of the
Fredericksburg Drive-In ticket booth
and screen.
8/9/06: The
Family and the Raleigh Road are featured in a segment
on the drive-in renaissance, hosted by Arch Campbell, that
ran on NBC 4/Washington's Monday newscast. The entire segment
can be viewed here.
7/19/06: The
Central, which has been under new
ownership since last September, has a snazzy new website.
6/29/06: Recollections
about the Grove and Super 51 drive-ins posted.
6/22/06: A
find that shocked even your webmaster: a beautiful photo
of the Woodbridge Sunset
marquee!
6/20/06: Driving
directions, courtesy of Windows Live Local, are now linked
on all open drive-in pages.
6/9/06: A
clarification: contrary to previous reports, the
Hager will not be showing
current titles this season, until the permanent screen and setup
are in place.
6/8/06: Link
added to a Baltimore City Paper interview with Bengies operator D. Edward
Vogel.
4/27/06: New
photos posted documenting progress on renovating the
Raleigh Road
and Hager. Also,
a reminiscence about Cumberland, Md.'s Crystal from the founder's
grandson.
4/6/06: As
promised, the new, interactive drive-in map is up. Powered by Google Maps, it features
pan, drag and zoom capabilities and pinpoint
location of each drive-in to enhance trip-planning
ability. Coming soon: the return of driving directions.
4/5/06: The Hager Drive-In is coming back!
The site has been purchased by AFE Theatres,
which is moving its mobile drive-in operation back
from Bowie, and will also be reviving the Hagerstown 10 indoor-plex.
Both theatres will reopen in May (update: the drive-in
is scheduled to open June 9). More details at their website.
3/19/06: Link
added to a bird's-eye photo view of the old Plaza Drive-In in Richmond.
3/06/06: Also out now with
its own website:
the Moonlite in Abingdon, Va.
2/21/06: The Raleigh Road has changed
hands again, and is currently being spruced up for an April opening.
Check out its new website.
11/01/05: The Bright Leaf, once again, is
an all-year drive-in... and this winter, so
is the Eden!
10/28/05: Read the
story of the Columbia's demise
in these articles.
7/28/05: Added:
link to a newspaper article about the Diamond State Drive-In.
6/22/05: At long
last, the news you've been waiting for:
the foot-dragging is over at the Frederick County
Zoning Board, and the Bumpers Drive-In people
now have official approval to begin building
along Route 140. According to the Bumpers website,
they are now on track to be fully
open by Spring '06.
6/16/05: Link
added to an article on Hull's
from American Profile (a weekly
magazine distributed as a supplement
with hundreds of small-town newspapers nationwide).
4/17/05: Recent
Baltimore news reports (1, 2) confirm that the Bel Air Drive-In and adjoining Big
M
Restaurant have indeed gone out of business.
Declining revenues forced the
operators to shutter both establishments
for the first time since 1952, when the drive-in
opened. The current land owners say they
have "no current plans" for the "investment property".
3/30/05: Links
added to three photos of the Hiway Drive-In in Radford,
Va., taken in 1987 while the major structures
were still mostly intact.
2/2/05: Memories
shared about the drive-ins in
Hancock, Md. and
Berkeley Springs,
W.Va.
1/30/05: Link added
to a photo of Northern Virginia's
Super 29 Drive-In marquee
logo.
1/24/05: More
sad news: longtime Bright Leaf Drive-In
owner/operator Don Davis passed away from cancer
on January 6, at age 69. Davis, who had
been with the drive-in since his father founded
it, took a great deal of pride in the place,
and he will surely be missed. Our condolences to his
family and the Bright Leaf employees.
1/10/05: New
information and reminiscences about
the 219 and Paradise drive-ins in Garrett
County, Md.
11/25/04: New
photos of the Eastern Shore's Super 50 Drive-In have been
contributed.
10/7/04: The drive-in
world just lost one of its giants
with the passing of Jack K. Vogel, designer
and builder of the Bengies Drive-In,
along with many other drive-ins and indoor
theatres across Maryland (including
the Hillside and
Colonial), Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Our condolences to his son, Bengies operator
D. Vogel, and the rest
of his family. Some of Jack Vogel's artist
renditions of his projects can be seen here, and reproductions of them purchased.
10/3/04: Numerous
factual updates to the site in
recent weeks, including:
•
newly discovered drive-in
operating in Moneta, Va. (near
Bedford) in early '50s
•
Highland Drive-In,
Blue Grass, Va.: years of operation
added, with other data
•
locations pinpointed for Middlesex Drive-In,
Warner, Va., and Callaghan Drive-In,
Covington, Va.
9/20/04:
The wrath of Ivan was felt this past Friday
by the Family Drive-In,
when one of the dozens
of tornadoes spawned in Virginia by the former
hurricane hurled debris into the 48-year-old
front screen, creating two sizable holes in the
screen and base. The good news is that the relatively
mild damage -- this was the same twister that overturned
tractor-trailers on I-81 and obliterated other
buildings along nearby sections of US 11 -- will
be a mere speed bump on the way to the drive-in's May 2005
reopening. The bad news is that the closing-weekend
program for Screen 1 was canceled due to the damage.
9/15/04: A
fan of Cumberland, Md.'s old Super 51 Drive-In
shares his fond memories
of the place, and his hopes that it might
rise again.
9/15/04: Think
the Park Drive-In was the Petersburg
area's first? Think again... we've just
learned about not one,
but two short-lived local
drive-ins that predate both it and the Blue Star. Also, the
story of the end of Blackstone's Grove
Drive-In is fleshed out quite a bit.
9/11/04: Link
added to a 1965 photo of the snack bar
at the old Patrick
Drive-In near Stuart,
Va.
9/10/04: Two
new photos posted of the remains
of the Fredericksburg Drive-In.
9/10/04: Link
added to an online documentary film
about Washington's old movie palaces
which also features the Beltsville Drive-In.
7/27/04: Wesley
Horton returns with a new column applying
the wondrous world of GPS technology
to Drive-In Archaeology.
7/4/04: In
days of old, pilots flying into the
airport at Baileys Crossroads at night could
often take in a few moments of
whatever was playing on the Sunset Drive-In
screen as they approached the north
runway. Go here
to see what we mean.
6/27/04: Sad
news: the Eastern Shore's
213 Drive-In has
now vanished totally. New updates on
it and on the Chestertown
and Super 50 pages.
5/25/04: A
woman shares her childhood memories
of Buchanan, Va.'s long-gone
Mt. Joy Drive-In.
5/5/04: We've
just discovered a page with vintage, 1963 B&W pics of Garrett County,
Md.'s old 219 Drive-In.
4/1/04: Picture
this: a Bengies Drive-In
with mini-golf, indoor cinemas and other
added attractions. This is the scenario
envisioned by manager D. Edward
Vogel in order to allow him to purchase
the property and secure the drive-in's
future. It will, however, require
a zoning change from residential (!)
to commercial. Bengies fans are urged
to offer their support for the change with
instructions here.
3/13/04: New
pics up of suburban Maryland drive-ins:
the Central
Avenue, 301, ABC, Ranch and
Super Chief
.
12/07/03: A
veteran of the Richmond drive-in
biz explains how Mother Nature caused
the Patterson
Drive-In's untimely demise.
11/30/03: Reminiscences
about southwest Virginia's
Cavalier and
Blue Grass drive-ins,
from a man who worked as a projectionist for
the former, while his brother
filled the same post at the latter.
9/17/03: Of
interest to Fredericksburg-area
DI buffs: the location of the
old Thornburg Drive-In
has been pinpointed.
9/9/03: Two
1949 photos of the under-construction
Dixie Drive-In,
and new information about the
Queen, all
thanks to the son of the founder of both
Roanoke-area drive-ins.
8/11/03: The
daughter of the projectionist at Roanoke's
Trail Drive-In
weighs in with her memories.
8/6/03: The
Starlite in Christiansburg, Va.
now has its own website.
8/6/03: Your
long wait is over: the webmaster
finally found the time for some
heavy-duty scanning, and
dozens of photos have just been added
to this site! Click below to see new
pics of:
•
Anchor Drive-In,
Newport News VA
•
Austinville Drive-In,
Austinville VA
•
Baker's Air Park
Drive-In, Burlington WV
•
Bright Leaf Drive-In,
Mt. Airy NC
•
Cumberland Drive-In,
Newville PA
•
Exmore Drive-In,
Exmore VA
•
Hillsdale Drive-In,
Washington VA
•
Hunters Lodge Drive-In,
Troy VA
•
Park Drive-In,
Petersburg VA
•
Roth's Drive-In,
Harrisonburg VA
•
Sinai West Drive-In,
South Boston VA
•
Starlite Drive-In,
Greenville VA
•
360 Drive-In,
Danville VA
•
Winchester Drive-In,
Winchester, VA
6/16/03: New
for the 2003 season at just-reopened
Haar's Drive-In:
FM sound!
6/12/03: Breaking
Bumpers Drive-In
news! The Frederick
County Planning Commission has
granted conditional approval for the
drive-in to be built at the Monocacy
site. With all legal hurdles
finally out of the way, plans are
to begin construction this fall and open in spring
2004.
6/2/03: Terraserver
aerial photos are now available
for Maryland's Eastern Shore.
Links added for the 213, Bowl, Super 50 and Shore drive-ins. Also, a topo
map
link to the approximate early'-50s location
of the Chestertown
Drive-In.
6/2/03: A
humorous reminiscence of the Timonium Drive-In
from a former employee, and a sad update
about the venerable marquee of Richmond's
Rosebowl
Drive-In.
5/3/03: An
amazing 1954 photo of Northern
Virginia's Lee Highway
Drive-In marquee
is now up.
4/25/03: Get
a look at these: links to vintage aerial
photos of the ABC
and Winchester's Royal drive-ins.
3/7/03: A
new listing for an early-'50s
drive-in in far southwest
Virginia.
2/14/03: It
Ain't Over 'Til... : The Bumpers
Drive-In folks have not given up on
opening an Eldersburg location. According
to the latest progress report at bumpers-drivein.com, they've taken their case vs. Carroll
County
to the Maryland Court of Special
Appeals, which has agreed
to hear it. If it goes in their favor,
they plan to build a second Bumpers
there in 2004.
2/14/03: Just
added: an awesome 1951 photo
of Baltimore's North
Point Drive-in screen
tower and marquee.
12/2/02: Nine
new photos of the Ranch Drive-In
from 1986-87.
9/10/02: Two
1949 photos of Arlington's Airport Drive-In,
plus a reminiscence from the
owner's son.
9/2/02: The
Directions feature on the open
drive-in pages is no longer working, as
MapBlast has discontinued this service.
We are working to remedy the situation
ASAP.
6/12/02: Former
US 50 landmark, Baker's Air Park
Drive-In has been pinpointed on the
landscape. Historical data added on it and
on the Winchester Drive-In.
6/11/02: Discovered:
a pre-World War II Richmond-area drive-in.
6/9/02: On
the Eastern Shore, a quest for the unknown drive-in.
Read on...
6/7/02: New
historical info added to Edmondson Drive-In
page.
5/6/02: A
great find: six vintage photos
of southwest Virginia's long-gone
Pulaski Drive-In.
4/29/02: Vintage,
WW2-era wire photo of Williamsburg's
Stockade
Auto-Torium added.
4/8/02: Bad
news: the Keysville's
reopening has been postponed
to at least 2004.
3/25/02: Memories
shared about Danville's South Drive-In.
1/21/02: New
images added to three P.G. County,
Maryland drive-in pages: the
ABC, Ranch and Super Chief.
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