Author Archives: mrdrivein

Here’s some video of the Skyline Drive-In

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I know I ran a note just a few weeks ago about the Skyline Drive-In of Shelton WA, but I saw that KING, Seattle’s news leader, ran a story about its progress raising money to finance the conversion to digital projection. There’s not a whole lot new about the story except that the Skyline has raised about $12,000 of the $40,000 needed for its Kickstarter campaign. Well, that and the fact that the Skyline has a Director of Marketing. I don’t know any other drive-ins that employ a marketing director. But I digress.

No, the reason I returned to the topic of the Skyline is the lovely video footage embedded here. It’s such a nice look at the projection room, and the Skyline’s old equipment, that I wish it lasted a little longer. For just a little more information, feel free to visit the KING site.

SW Michigan drive-ins face digital conversion costs

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Ticket booth at the Capri Drive-In

Ticket booth at the Capri Drive-In.
Photo by All Things Michigan.

The MLive Media Group, which includes a bunch of newspapers in Michigan, published a set of stories over the weekend about the state of southwest Michigan drive-ins. Glenda and Neal Edwards own two of them, the 5 Mile of Dowagiac and the Sunset in Hartford, and they’re hoping to get films for the rest of this summer while they save to convert at least one of their drive-ins to digital projection. “We’ll do it for as long as we can hold on, as long as we can get prints,” Glenda Edwards said. They say it’s possible that they’ll have to close one or both drive-ins.

Meanwhile, the Capri of Coldwater made the change just a week or two ago, according to The Daily Reporter. Its owners, Susan and Tom Magocs, wanted to let their patrons know that “the Capri will still be here.” MLive reports that the cost to convert the two projectors was $144,000, and those funds came from selling their lake house.

MLive also has a five-photo slide show of the three drive-ins, so you probably really ought to go read it!

Cottage View sign finds a new home

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Maybe this isn’t a full-fledged happy ending, since the drive-in is still going to be replaced by a Walmart, but the Cottage View of Cottage Grove MN will at least be able to preserve its signature marquee sign.

According to a story in the Twin Cities Pioneer Press, the Cottage View’s sign, along with its screen and film projector, will take up residence at the Little Log House Pioneer Village of Hastings. The sign is expected to be moved within a month.

That sign will need extensive repairs, said Cottage Grove city administrator Ryan Schroeder. “It has not had work done on it for some time. You can see right through it in some places, with the rust holes,” Schroeder said.

The former owner, Gerry Herringer, speculated that the Pioneer Village might use the screen and projection equipment to show movies at least occasionally. “He is saving iconic relics that would have been trashed,” Herringer added. “I am more than happy to give him everything.”

The Pioneer Press article has a lot more about the history of the Cottage View, and even a close-up file photo, so go read it!