Author Archives: mrdrivein

Twilite may become Municipal Heritage Property

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Wolseley Town Hall and Opera House

Wolseley City Hall and Opera House, photo by BriYYZ

SaskNewsNow.com reports that the Twilite Drive-In of Wolseley, Saskatchewan, may be designated as a Municipal Heritage Property by the regional municipality of Wolseley. (The story refers to Wolseley as an ‘RM’, as if I’d know what that meant without looking it up.)

“It’s an important part of our community,” said Rose Zimmer, administrator for the RM of Wolseley. “It’s an important part of our history.”

According to the article, the Twilite was the first drive-in in Saskatchewan when it opened 59 years ago, and it’s still being operated by the family of its original owners. The MHP designation could make the Twilite eligible for government grants, which would be used to upgrade the screen or the physical plant, but it won’t help with digital transition expenses. They still plan to hold fundraisers to buy a digital projector this spring.

To get an idea of how small and cute the Twilite is, check out this Google overhead view, then go see the file photo that accompanies the SaskNewsNow article. That is such a dear little drive-in, and I’d love to visit it some day.

Hybrid drive-in in Athens AL goes digital

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There was a short note in the Athens AL News Courier that mentioned that the Cinemagic Theater there had converted to digital for its five indoor screens and its drive-in. (The full story is floating around somewhere on that site, but only for paid subscribers.) The wording of that note sounded a little odd to me, so I looked up the Cinemagic in Google Maps, and the result is over there to the right of these words.

This is such a good idea that I’m surprised I don’t see it more often: The Cinemagic, which opened as a drive-in in 1997, converted or added a small indoor multiplex that swallowed the old projection and concession stand in 2006. From the look of the satellite photo, (you might have to zoom in to see it better), the Cinemagic is down to three rows for cars, and it stretched those rows extra wide. I don’t think I’d want to park in one of those far west spaces, but I think it’s great that this drive-in found an unusual way to stay alive.

USA Today spotlights Tennessee drive-ins

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Stardust Drive-In screen

Stardust Drive-In photo by niseag03

Last Friday, USA Today picked up a story by The Tennessean, which isn’t so strange because they’re both owned by Gannett. Anyway, the story discussed how small Tennessee theaters, especially drive-ins, were approaching digital conversion. To see the most photos, you might want to check both articles if you can; The Tennessean only allows non-paying visitors a few views per month.

It’s a good, long story, so you really should read it, but I’ll give you a quick summary. The Stardust Drive-In (Watertown) has just converted to digital projection. The owner of the Moonlight Drive-In (Woodbury) plans to stick to film “for as long as possible” because “(s)imply put, I can’t afford it.” The owner of the Sparta Drive-In (Sparta) agrees, saying “If I can’t get any more film, I’ll just shut the doors.” Or gates, I suppose. And finally, the Hi-Way 50 Drive-In (Lewiston) closed last year, and its owner said, “With this digital thing coming on, we decided it was a good time to retire.” At least the Stardust is in it for the long haul.

There’s a lot more detail and background in the original article, so go read it!