The restored screen at the Moonlite Drive-In from a July 2018 photo on its Facebook page

After percolating for a couple of years, the Moonlite Drive-In might be ready to turn the lights back on in West Wyoming PA this June. According to The Citizens’ Voice, owner Eric Symeon bought a digital projector from the recently closed Cascade Drive-In in West Chicago IL.

Symeon has been working on this project since early 2017, which I wrote about back then. Last summer, he restored the screen by replacing missing panels and painting it. The Voice article said he’s currently working on the electrical system and fixing the concession stand. And if he’s put down the cash for the projector, that makes his announced date of June sound even more likely.

The Moonlite first opened around 1951, and for almost all of its first life it was listed as being owned by James Rizzo. Some early directories showed it starting with just 100 cars, then growing to 350 or 400, so Rizzo might have added rows to the lot. The Voice article said that the Moonlite has been closed for 32 years, making 1987 the end until now.

It’s always a shame when a perfectly good drive-in dies, but there’s a little hope salvaged when its parts can help revive or expand another drive-in. I hope there’s a happy ending here later this year.