New drive-in opens in Rustburg VA

Posted on Apr 21, 2025 by mrdrivein

It’s the time of year when we see plenty of stories about drive-ins that have reopened for another season, sprinkled with a few worrisome tales of possible sales and closures. (Looking at you, Weirs!) But the kind of news that really grabs my attention is the report of a brand-new drive-in. Thanks to WSET, Lynchburg VA’s News Leader, we know that the 29 Drive-In opened in nearby Rustburg this past weekend. (That link includes a short video, but I couldn’t find a way to embed it here.)

The owners, Candice and Jamie “Papa O” Ohler, said they plan to show a family-friendly movie every Saturday night this season, which began with “Twister”. The 29 can accommodate 40 cars, which use FM radio sound to hear the movies of the screen shown above. The cost is $25 per carload.

The Campbell County Planning Commission gave its unanimous approval to the new drive-in back in February. At that meeting, Ohler said he had held a couple of drive-in events last fall, so he probably built that screen before then.

This place is such a throwback, in so many good ways. Old-time drive-in owners rented their movies outright, as Ohler said he planned for the 29. Some theaters over 100 years ago were back rooms behind candy shops; I’ll bet the “I Scream You Scream” ice cream shop in front of the 29 will do a lot of business on warm Saturday nights.

As far as I can tell, the 29 doesn’t have a separate web presence, although there’s a “Drive In Movie” link at the I Scream You Scream page on Facebook. As soon as I see one, I’ll add it to the Carload Drive-In List. Meanwhile, we’ll all just know it’s there if we’re in the neighborhood on a Saturday night.

Super Video: In-depth view of South Dakota’s 6 or 7 drive-ins

Posted on Apr 7, 2025 by mrdrivein

Continuing my cleanup of stories I missed over the past couple of years, I want to share with you one of the best drive-in videos I’ve seen. In May 2023, South Dakota Public Broadcasting presented an episode of “Dakota Life Detours” that was all about the six family-owned drive-in theaters in the state, plus a glimpse of a seventh that closed just weeks before airtime.

Those drive-ins, along with the time that they’re first mentioned in the video are the Winner Drive-In Theatre in Winner SD (4:13), Miller’s Midway Drive-in Theatre (5:34), Mobridge’s Pheasant Drive-In (6:25), Roy’s Black Hills Twin Drive-In in Hermosa (6:52), Gregory’s Hilltop Drive-Inn Theatre (7:40), and the Pheasant City Drive-In Theatre in Redfield (8:22). The video also described the most recent chapter in the story of Mitchell’s Starlite Drive-In (18:28), which quickly renovated and reopened in April 2020 after being dark for seven years. The Starlite’s owners elected not to reopen for the 2023 season, announcing that the drive-in had been “not meeting expenses.”

There are so many great images of drive-in playgrounds, twilight scenery, and varied snack bars that it’s hard to call out even a few of them. The item that most caught my attention was the gas-fired, open-flame popcorn popper used at the Pheasant City (16:21). I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything like it.

Host Larry Rohrer got it just right, balancing nostalgia with the celebration of great times going on now. His relaxed, folksy narration was perfect for discussing the “community service” that these drive-in families provide for their neighbors who come by for popcorn, snacks, and a place to get away from it all.

I stumbled onto this video while looking for the latest updates about the Winner, which suffered serious screen damage from a windstorm in July 2024. The town rallied behind the drive-in, and its Facebook page showed a photo from a few weeks ago with fresh lumber next to the screen remains. Here’s hoping the Winner is back in action soon. Until then, we’ve got a great opportunity to see what it and its sister drive-ins looked just a couple of years ago.

Video: PA’s Point upgrading under new ownership

Posted on Apr 2, 2025 by mrdrivein

After announcing that it might convert to a solar farm, then closing for all of 2024, the Point Drive-In near Northumberland PA is getting ready to reopen for the 2025 season, thanks to new ownership. That’s the good news from WNEP, Moosic? (yes, Moosic) PA’s News Leader.

Josh Brosious is the new owner of the Point, and the WNEP video documents the work he’s doing to get the drive-in’s facilities renovated for modern times. The kitchen and the toilets in the “Refreshment Pavilion” are getting replaced before he opens in a few weeks, and the easier touch-ups at the box office and fences are also underway.

(Side Note: You know I focus on odd details. Moosic’s population, per the 2020 census, is less than 6000. Are there any other TV broadcasters in the US that are based in smaller municipalities? Maybe there’s some postage-stamp-sized suburb out there that’s the official host for another station, but none come to mind at the moment. Let me know, okay? Now, back to the drive-ins.)

The Point was one of the last stops on my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey in 2017. I knew some of its history then, and I’ve learned more since. Harold Bell opened the single-screen Arrow Drive-In in June 1952. The Comerford Theatres chain took over before the 1957 season, changing the drive-in’s name to the Point. Somebody was showing X-rated movies there in the 1970s. Around 1980, new owner Joe Farruggio added two screens and switched to standard movies.

Dave Renn bought the Point around 1990. A couple of decades later, he held a Jackalope music festival to raise money to finance the successful conversion to digital projection. The main screen up front was damaged in 2019 and removed, leaving two working screens. Renn sold the Point late last year, which brings us up to the new Brosious era.

Brosius, who happens to be mayor of nearby Sunbury, had been talking with Renn as early as July 2022 about ways to keep the Point open. He said, “It’s safe to say everyone wants it to stay here so if we here in Sunbury can help, we will.” It’s great news that Brosius found a way to keep this drive-in alive for generations to come.