The Belleview (IL) News-Democrat posted a nice little article about the Skyview Drive-In there, which will reopen for its 68th season on March 17. Although it contains a lot of tasty trivia, the article’s best feature is its accompanying video, embedded here, that shows several superb vintage photos of the Skyview and its iconic sign.
The rocket ship marquee appeared in 1950, one year after the drive-in opened. It had flashing lights until the early 1980s, when a city ordinance outlawed flashing signs. Since then, the Skyline has kept the lights off, but the photos in this video provide a wonderful glimpse into how they used to look.
To find out the ticket price in 1949, what the Skyline keeps locked up near the concession stand, and plenty of other fun facts, you really need to go read it!
gave USA Today’s Larry Bleiberg his top ten favorite drive-in theaters. I don’t know if they were the top ten active drive-ins, or whether it just happens that Sanders’ favorites all happen to still be alive. There are notes and photos for each, so you really should