Who would have thought that fall would be the season to announce so many drive-in theatre reopenings? The latest great news comes from Abington VA, where the Moonlite Drive-In Theatre is rapidly renovating towards a targeted reopening later this month.

The Bristol (VA) Herald Courier published a front-page story with the details. Kyle Blevins, a UPS driver from just across the border in Bristol TN, had watched movies at the Moonlite for more than 40 years before it closed three years ago for lack of a digital projector. Now Blevins has fulfilled his dream of owning a drive-in, sort of. The Herald Courier says he’s “co-owner” along with the previous owner.

The Moonlite opened in 1949 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Blevins said he hopes to show at least one movie by the end of October, with a formal re-opening in Spring 2017.

Blevins invited the community to spend Oct. 8 helping get the Moonlite ready, and he has a GoFundMe page set up for donations.

The crew from WCYB, Bristol’s news leader, also dropped by to talk about Moonlite memories with folks who had visited the drive-in during past decades. It’s an extensive story that I couldn’t embed here, so you really should go watch it!