Category Archives: Washington

Valley 6, Wilmington now permanently closed

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Valley 6 Drive-In signWhile it’s great fun to celebrate the birth of a new drive-in, we also need to make mention of drive-ins that pass away. Sometimes they close to great fanfare, but more often they just decline to reopen in the spring. Here are two more of those stories.

From the Auburn (WA) Reporter comes word that the Valley 6 there really looks dead. It hasn’t ordered movies for the 2013 season, and its manager passed away in December. What appears to be its official Facebook page hasn’t been updated since May 2012, and a Valley 6 fan page there (where I borrowed that Valley 6 sign photo) says its phone number is disconnected. There’s also a Facebook group with discussion from former employees.

The Washington Court House (OH) Record Herald wrote last Friday that Phillip Chakeres, the CEO of the company that owns the Wilmington Drive-In, hadn’t decided whether it will reopen this season. He “plans to make the final decision within a month.” Then yesterday, the same reporter wrote in The News Democrat of Georgetown OH that Chakeres said the Wilmington “will not open this season and its future is questionable”. The stated reason is unusual for drive-ins these days: the Wilmington was losing money.

It’s likely that there are more closings that we will only hear about after the fact; newspapers rarely publish business obituaries. The News Democrat story included an ominous note about Chakeres’s drive-ins: “Chakeres now operates three in Clayton, Springfield and Fairborn, having recently permanently shut down three in Celina, Lucasville and New Carlisle.”

Skyline Theater also turns to Kickstarter

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Skyline theater screenThe Skyline Drive-In Theater (aha! someone else who spells it -ter) in Shelton WA is the latest drive-in to turn to Kickstarter to raise funds for its conversion to digital projection. As that page describes it:

“Small theaters all over the country are left to fight over the few 35mm prints that are currently being made.The drive-in theater, seen by many as little more than a fossil of movie-going history, is last in line for new movies.The only way to change that is to convert to digital projectors.”

As of this writing, the Skyline has raised less than $9,000 of its $40,000 goal, with a deadline of May 12. If they get enough cash, they also say that they’ll restore its neon sign to its “original 1964 glory”. If you’ve ever been to the Skyline, this would be a good time to show your support.

Update: The Olympian of Olympia WA ran a story about the Skyline’s Kickstarter project. It includes a little more information and a pair of nice photos. Check it out!

Another Washington drive-in has switched to digital

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Blue Fox Drive-In T-shirt saleAlthough it’s sad that we’ll lose the Auto-Vue, there’s some good news from the other side of the state of Washington. The Blue Fox Drive-In (Oak Harbor WA) has already switched to digital projection and has reopened for its 2013 season.

The Whidbey News-Times ran a nice article about the transition. Darrell Bratt, owner of the Blue Fox, said his fundraising efforts had netted about 80% of the cost of the new projector. He borrowed the rest to get it installed over the holiday break, but he’s continuing to sell glow-in-the-dark T-shirts to pay off the debt. It’s great to find good news like this!