Parkland FL’s Occasional Drive-In Returns Saturday

Rows of cars lined up in front of an inflatable screen

Photo from the City of Parkland

The City of Parkland FL hosts a free semi-annual drive-in at its equestrian center, and its next date is this Saturday, when it’s showing Cars 3.

According to Special Events Coordinator Alexandra Valle, the program started about four years ago, before she arrived. They rent a 33-foot high inflatable screen from Twilight Features, which also handles the projector. Local businesses sponsor the event.

Unlike a lot of places that show movies in the park for viewers on blankets, (although Parkland does that too), this is a true drive-in experience. Valle said that they’ve fit 800 cars into the area, which also has limited grassy seating near the screen. Many people sit on top of their cars to see the movie at a better view on the flat field.

Which brings me to my metaphysical question: Is this a drive-in theater? It’s always in the same place, and cars truly drive in to watch a movie. Sure, it uses an impermanent screen, but so does the Blue Starlite. But Valle argued against the notion. “We utilize the Equestrian Center large open field and raised berm to show a movie twice a year,” she said. “It is not built on a slant for a real drive-in experience. We also use this field for other special events such as our Farmers’ Market.”

I don’t think a flat viewing area or a market prevent the Parkland from being a drive-in; just think of all the drive-ins with flea markets. On the other hand, if it has only two active dates a year, that puts it in Manistique territory, and I haven’t added that one to the Carload list. I guess I need to add a minimum to the definition of an active drive-in.

In any event, it’s great to see a city provide a taste of the drive-in to its residents and visitors. I hope that more municipalities move beyond movies in the park to something more like Parkland’s almost-drive-in.

Couple Hopes To Build Drive-In NW Of Omaha

Miniature drive-in theater, as from a model train set

This is definitely NOT a scale model for the Nebraska project, but I’ve been waiting a long time for an excuse to share it. Photo by dididumm from the Carload Flickr pool

The Omaha World-Herald (subscription) reported yesterday that Jenny and Jeff Karls of Fremont NE want to break ground on what would be the Quasar Drive-In on state Highway 36 a few miles east of US Highway 275. They project that to be about a 25-minute drive northwest of Omaha.

The couple are seeking a permit from Douglas County for their plan to convert farmland to a single-screen drive-in, with the possibility of adding a second screen later. This morning, the Douglas County Board postponed a vote on the project until Feb. 6, according to the World-Herald, to give the Karlses time to work with their neighbors about concerns they raised.

“There are more new-construction drive-in theaters being built now than there have been in decades,” Jeff Karls said. The couple told the World-Herald that the idea came to them while watching a movie at a drive-in “in Pittsburgh” (maybe the Dependable in suburban Moon PA?) on their honeymoon in 2013. It looks like Jeff has a Pinterest page titled Quasar Drive In Theater, so you can go there to see some possible inspirations for his project. That appears to be the first time a drive-in theater has used that name, probably because the word “quasar” wasn’t coined until 1964.

The Karlses first tried a site in Gretna only to be turned back by not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) neighbors and the Gretna Planning Commission. For the current site, that NIMBY neighbor might be Tanner Hoffman, who raised the objections that caused the board to postpone the vote. Board Chairman Chris Rodgers told the Karlses that they aren’t required to make the neighbors happy, but to give negotiation a chance. Let’s hope that the county sees the wisdom of adding a bit of life to this sparsely populated part of the state.

Shankweiler’s Is For Sale

The oldest active drive-in theater, probably the second commercial drive-in ever, is for sale. Owners Paul and Susan Geissinger say the asking price for Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre is $1.2 million. The Orefield PA landmark is in great shape by all accounts, but the Geissingers want to retire.

I was virtually there less than a month ago during the final week of my 2017 Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey, so its history is fresh on my mind. You can read more in that post, but the most relevant part is that the Geissingers bought the place around 1984 and have been running it ever since.

The Morning Call of Allentown wrote that the couple “actually put the property up for sale in 2015, but it was relisted last week after their real estate agent joined a new company, Paul Geissinger said Wednesday.” They want to clear enough to retire comfortably, and although they’d prefer that the drive-in would stay open, they’ll sell to the highest bidder. The current plan is for a normal operating season in 2018. I’ve embedded a YouTube video of an interview with Paul Geissinger posted just a few months ago.

The Morning Call wrote, “The Geissingers have received a few offers, Paul said, but not at the price he was looking for.” Whenever I read about any real estate that has taken longer to move than the sellers wanted, I hear the voice of the old radio financial advisor Bruce Williams in my head. Assuming that you have sufficiently publicized your listing, he would say, the market is telling you that your price is too high. You may think that you need to get X dollars from the sale, or insist that you’ve invested Y dollars into the property, but none of that matters to the buyer. Regardless of other factors, anything is worth only what a customer is willing and able to pay for it. I hope that all drive-in owners with current listings and future sales take that to heart so these great institutions can stay in operation.