Lewisville TX’s Coyote: Closed For How Long?

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Coyote Drive-In screen tower silhouetted at sunset

Photo from the Coyote Drive-In Facebook page

How can you tell when your phone stops ringing? It’s not when a ring ends; it’s when enough time passes that you know a new ring isn’t coming.

I say that as an excuse why last month’s closure of the Coyote Drive-In of Lewisville TX didn’t strike me as anything very unusual. Sure some drive-ins in Texas stay open later in the year, but an end-of-September announcement on its Facebook page that it was “closed for the season” didn’t raise an alarm with me even though the Coyote added “until further notice.”

Today I finally noticed a mention in the Denton Record-Chronicle that indirectly pointed back to an earlier R-C article about the possible end of the Coyote. That article quoted a statement from company officials saying, “The theater just simply wasn’t as busy as we had predicted. We are evaluating some strategic alternatives for the drive-in and the property.”

Although that sounds a lot like a permanent closure, I really wonder what might happen in the spring when blockbuster movies and warm weather return. This Coyote might never open again, but I’ll still wait awhile to hear whether that phone rings again.

Video: Wichita’s Starlite Has Closed

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Bad news from the Wichita Eagle, which reported today that the Starlite Drive-In Theatre has turned off its projectors for the last time. That came on the heels of this morning’s email from the Starlite which said, “This was a difficult decision many years in the making with declining attendance and rapidly rising costs of maintenance and technology.”

The Eagle wrote that owner Chuck Bucinski told his employees that “the theater has been in financial trouble since the digital projectors were installed.” Which seems odd considering that those projectors should have been at least subsidized by the community fundraising the Starlite mounted at the time, when it was still owned by Jim Goble. That’s all according to the article, which said Bucinski bought the place in 2016.

Just a few months ago, Bucinski filed to change the Starlite’s zoning to allow for industrial and commercial uses for the drive-in land. At the time, he said the move was “strictly for estate-planning purposes”.

It’s a darned shame that Wichita is going to lose its only drive-in to ozoners’ eternal enemy – a landowner with more profitable plans for his property. Since that email suggested that the decision had been made a long time ago, it’s doubly sad that that loyal viewers were denied the opportunity to say goodbye in a farewell season, which would have boosted attendance and possibly boosted some sympathy for Bucinski. Instead, if he’s remembered at all, he’ll be known as the guy who turned out the lights at the Starlite.

Video: Parkway Hosts Halloween Fundraiser

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The Parkway Drive-In Theatre in Maryville TN is holding a Trunk or Treat night this Saturday with a double feature of Casper and The Goonies. The best part of this event is that it’s designed to raise money for a homeless outreach charity there.

WBIR, Knoxville’s News Leader, ran a nice little news story about the upcoming event which benefits Family Promise of Blount County. Although the story says this is the first year of what they hope will become an annual event, the news video shows clips of a past Trunk or Treat. Maybe that one wasn’t for charity? But I digress.

At any rate, it’s always nice to get a video postcard of what a particular drive-in looks like these days, and it’s great to hear the locals happy to have it there. If you’re in the neighborhood, it sounds like some great fun for a good cause.