Author Archives: mrdrivein

A Love Letter To SC Drive-Ins

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Last weekend, the Charleston SC Post and Courier ran a very nice article about the three active drive-in theaters in the state: the Highway 21 Drive In in Beaufort, the Auto 25 Drive In in Greenwood, and the Monetta Drive In Theatre (“The Big Mo”) in Monetta, of course.

Highway 21 Drive-In marquee
Photo by Earl Leatherberry from the Carload Flickr Pool.

The article starts with Joe Barth, the owner of the Highway 21 Drive-In, who bought the place in 2004 when it was run down. “My wife would tell ya I was stupid,” Barth said. He cleaned up the joint, added a second screen and a playground, and now he’s enjoying the simple life of running a successful drive-in.

The “25 Drive-In Auto Theatre” was the next drive-in in the article. Its owners, Tommy and Carolyn McCutcheon, bought the 25 in 2008. Tommy came from the restaurant business, so the concession stand is a special treat, particularly the Barbecue Bacon Burger. “This is my 11th year, and I’m thrilled every time I look up there and see the big screen,” he said. “It still takes my breath away after all these years.”

The last stop of the tour is the Big Mo, set behind rows of peach orchards. Richard and Lisa Boaz bought the drive-in in 1998 for $10,000 after it sat idle for 14 years. They had been at a West Virginia drive-in the year before, and Richard suggested to his wife, “This is so cool; we could do this.”

The article includes plenty of wonderful photos of folks having a great time at each of the three South Carolina drive-ins, and there’s more story and details than I mentioned here, so you know you really ought to go read it!

Video: Starlite 14 May Close Permanently

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WMTV, Madison WI’s News Leader, reported some sad news last night. The Starlite 14 Drive In in Richland Center may showing movies for just a couple more weeks, according to an announcement by its owners, Lisa and Bill Muth.

In a post on the drive-in’s Facebook page, Bill Muth wrote, “We have decided to retire from the theater business. … The Starlite 14 Drive-In will close permanently after the completion of the 2019 season on September 1, 2019.” He added that he would soon attempt to sell the Starlite and his indoor Center Cinema.

Muth’s description of the situation in the WMTV video sounded just a bit more positive. “If nobody buys the theater, and they don’t buy it and reopen it next year, it will be permanently closed, and it will be gone.”

Personally, I see a lot of room for optimism. The Starlite 14 has digital projection (already paid off, Muth wrote), and it’s still mostly surrounded by farm land. While it’s true that it won’t reopen if no one ever buys it, the site doesn’t look attractive for warehouses or apartments, so I’d say its best use is still as a drive-in theater. Here’s hoping some buyer agrees with me some time this off-season.

Video: Kingston Family FunWorld Sold

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CKWS, Kingston ON’s News Leader, reported some sad news yesterday evening. The Kingston Family FunWorld, which includes a three-screen drive-in, has been sold, and the story sounds like the new buyer isn’t interested in the place for its amusement facilities.

The drive-in has been around for “almost five decades,” according to the CKWS story, owned and operated by the Wannemacher family. Under Dan Wannemacher’s guidance, they added a go-kart track, batting cages, and mini golf. But Dan passed away suddenly three years ago, and the family says it’s time to move on.

The drive-in will stay open through Sept. 1. “The best thing for me is knowing how much this place impacted a lot of Kingstonians and I think we’ll always be in peoples’ hearts,” said Trish Wannemacher.

I wish I could link to the video, which shows a few glimpses of what might be the FunWorld’s final days, but you can watch it here. If you want to see the whole article, then you know you need to go read it!