Category Archives: Pennsylvania

More drive-ins in MI, PA commit to digital

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Getty Drive-In marquee

photo by MichiganDriveIns, used by permission

Here are a couple more notes that support what, thankfully, looks like a growing trend. The Lehigh Valley (PA) Morning Call ran a happy note about Shankweiler’s in Orefield and Becky’s in Berlinsville, which have both switched to digital projection.

Not only is Shankweiler’s indisputably the oldest active drive-in, it appears to have been only the second drive-in ever built when it opened in April 1934, according to the book Drive-in Theaters. Becky’s isn’t quite as old, it opened 12 years later, but it’s always nice to hear of another drive-in making a successful conversion.

Over at Mlife.com is a similar story of the Getty Drive-In (Muskegon MI), except that it hasn’t quite made the transition yet. The story says that the Getty’s general manager, Kevin Sims, wasn’t sure exactly when it would happen, but it could be as early as June. “Luckily, we have a great company that backs the drive-in,” he said. For the full story, plus a photo of the film projector, go check it out!

Two more PA drive-ins ready to go

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Update: Hours after I posted the following, I saw that WHP, Harrisburg’s news leader, had also posted a story about the season opener of the Cumberland Drive-In. We do love our embedded video, so there you go, along with my previous little post, which starts right now…

The Sentinel of Cumberland County PA ran an article this week profiling the owners of two nearby drive-ins. Vicky Hardy is looking forward to installing a digital projector at Haar’s Drive-In (Dillsburg) later this month, and Jay Mowery sees the “necessary evil” of converting the Cumberland Drive-In (Newville) this fall.

Haar’s and the Cumberland were opened “months apart” in 1952. Mowery’s father built the Cumberland. “Our house was on the property,” he said. “Our whole life, growing up, couldn’t be separated from it.”

Hardy is the granddaughter of Vance Haar, a guy who might have preferred to join the circus, “but with a family, he couldn’t have kids and go after that,” Hardy said.

That’s just a quick taste of a lengthy, well-written article about two family-owned drive-ins and their different approaches to inevitable digital conversion. It even includes a few photos. Go read it!