Author Archives: mrdrivein

Australia’s Lunar Adds A Faux-Neon Sign

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Neon-style rocket sign at night

Photo from the Lunar Drive-In Instagram page

Last week the Greater Dandenong Leader of suburban Melbourne, Australia ran a nice article about a new sign at the Lunar Drive-In there. The “retro-style” sign stands in front of the box office, lighting one letter at a time then finishing with a burst of faux rocket flame. You can watch it here.

Co-owner David Kilderry told the newspaper his brother Matthew wanted a sign reminiscent of movie theatres in the ‘50s and ‘60s to replace “the boring old sign that we used to have.”

The article frequently mentions “neon”, but this stuff sounds like the LEDs that San Antonio used to restore the lit mural at the former Mission Drive-In there. Rick Ruitenbach of Icon Creations said, This is new-age neon. Traditional neon is blown glass filled with gas but our signs are LED lookalikes which are more environmentally responsible and economical to run.”

The Lunar, already Australia’s largest drive-in at four screens, is planning to expand later this year after a record-setting season. Glad they could afford such a nifty sign.

Terre Haute Drive-In On Path To Rebuild

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Old North Drive-In screen, surrounded by trees

Screen capture of a WTHI news video

A proposed renovation and reopening of the North Drive-In in Terre Haute IN passed another permitting hurdle this week. As reported in the local Tribune-Star, Brent Barnhart, president of the company that owns the Starlite Drive-In Theatre in Bloomington and a few indoor theaters, was granted a variance to use grass and gravel in the viewing area instead of a hard surface.

The article said that it has been 32 years since Terre Haute’s north side has had an operational drive-in theater, although the North was still listed in the 1988 Motion Picture Almanac. The original screen — “about 80 feet wide and 35 feet tall, sitting about another 15 feet off the ground” — still looks pretty good according to a 20-second video posted at WTHI, Terre Haute’s News Leader.

”This is definitely a good step. We are still waiting on financing, but will find out in about a week or two. Once that is finalized, we will start moving forward,” Barnhart said. He also added that he would restore the original marquee, currently the sign for Kessco Water. It’s just one more thing to look to this year.

Video: Let’s Return To The Silver Moon

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It’s been over a year since I made my virtual visit to the Silver Moon Drive-In Theatre in Lakeland FL. Such innocent times! It was the first week of my Drive-in-a-Day odyssey, back when I was still skimping on historical details, and I hadn’t yet noticed how cool it is to embed a video with my visit report.

Today I’ll correct that last omission. Here’s a YouTube video describing a typical night at the Silver Moon, supplemented by old photos and video clips. Enjoy!