299 Drive-In
40640 CA-299,
Willow Creek,
CA
95573
40640 CA-299,
Willow Creek,
CA
95573
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The 299 Drive-In was owned by S. Brander and had space for 110-cars. It opened on September 30, 1966 and was closed by 1977.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The correct address for this drive-in seems to be: 75953 Trinity Hwy, Willow Creek, CA 95573 (If you’re searching on Google Earth) It is the Early Bird Restaurant.
Based on the aerial, a slightly better address would be 40630 CA-299, Willow Creek, CA 95573, home of Bigfoot Rafting. You can still see hints of the ramps behind the building.
Despite showing up on a 1979 topo map, the drive-in was long demolished as the 1972 aerial photo shows.
The Early Bird Restaurant which is now closed for good was where the screen was…
The actual address is 40640 CA-299, Willow Creek, CA 95573.
Please update.
Some ramps are still visible.
I don’t know what was going on in 1972, but the 299 came back later in the decade. In the Eureka Times-Standard on June 22, 1976, a movie ad mentioned that it was available “Also 299 Drive In - Willow Creek”. And the 1977 Motion Picture Almanac, which had the best accuracy of any of their drive-in lists, still included the 299, owned by R. Rickard.
In the March 9, 1977 Times-Standard, a public notice said that James L. Rickard, executor of Helen Rickard’s estate, would sell 30% interest in “Buzzy’s 299 Drive-In, Willow Creek”. On May 11, 1977, a notice from Robert Rickard said he was abandoning the business name of Buzzy’s 299 Drive-In.
It’s possible that Rickard revived “Buzzy’s 299” for just one year, 1976, and those notices sure make it sound like the drive-in closed for good by 1977.
I may stand corrected. The 1972 aerial shows the screen, projection booth, and fence gone. No question it was demolished.
However, a 1974 aerial shows the fence and projection booth rebuilt. Although I do not see any evidence of a screen. A 1984 aerial also does not show evidence of a screen.
It’s possible a screen was set up after 1974 and torn down by 1984. Perhaps it was positioned against the back wall of the diner.
Whatever the case, the drive-in was demolished again by 1993 and today there is no trace of it remaining.
From Blue Lake Advocate:
”Friday night, September 30th, 1966, is set for the Grand Opening of Willow Creek’s newest business: Buzzy’s Drive-In Theatre and restaurant, located on Highway 299, just east of Gambi’s. About two miles east from Willow Creek, the Drive-In is owned and operated by Mr. Robert Rickard of Willow Creek, while the Restaurant is operated by Mrs. Henry (Mary) Wright, a former Hoopa resident. The new outdoor theatre will have a capacity of 116 cars and promises a good selection of films.”
Thanks for the note, Ron Pierce! That Sept. 29, 1966 Blue Lake Advocate page also included a grand opening ad (just uploaded here) for the 299. The drive-in charged $2 a carload to see “Paradise Hawaiian Style” and “The Last of the Secret Agents.”