Whalom Auto Drive-In
357 Electric Avenue,
Lunenburg,
MA
01462
357 Electric Avenue,
Lunenburg,
MA
01462
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The Whalom Drive-In opened its gates on July 18, 1949. Unfortunately it didn’t show its grand opening attraction on its advertisement, but I consider its first films were “T-Men” along with a short entitled “Mickey” (not the mouse due to no selected short subjects being added), but unclear yet. The theater closed at the end of the 1983 season.
The screen remains attached until sometime in the latter half of the 1980s or the earlier part of the 1990s when it burned down for unknown reasons. The rest of the drive-in though remains attached until 2002 when ingrown trees cover the traces until being completely covered in 2009. In 2011, the traces returned, and left it attached until 2017 when construction of the Unitiel building began.
Opened on 18/7/1949. Closed in the 1980’s(exact date unknown?). The screen burned own(date unknown?)(possibly the reason for the closing of the drive-in?).
UNITIL Gas & Electric is now on the site. Current Google aerial shows nothing, but the street view from October of 2017 has a building on the site, and the marquee is gone.
New pictures courtesy of John W. Vomvoris and FB Drive-In Movie Booty.
Apparently I was not paying attention when I was typing my previous post. It was DEFINITELY in Lunenburg, not Fitchburg. The drive-in was down the road from Whalom Park. The screen burnt down some years after it closed. So, I apologize for my “brain fade” earlier.
There IS an Electric Avenue in Fitchburg, but there are no theatres along that short span of road.
There appear to be two entries for this drive-in on Cinema Treasures; this one listing it in Lunenburg, and another listing it in Fitchburg. One of them needs to be removed, and if my understanding is correct…it should be the Fitchburg entry. Either way, we only need one entry for this drive-in.
If we keep this one, change it to ‘Closed/Demolished’. It’s long, long gone.
Whalom is not the name of an a actual town in Massachusetts.
It’s actually just North of the town of Whalom.
View link
Well, actually, the Whalom IS on www.drive-ins.com It’s listed as beiing in Fitchburg, not Lunenberg, though. The page is here.
It’s noted on the page that the screen burnt down, although I think this happened after it had closed, and was not a factor in the drive-in closing.
I haven’t found the IMPA to have fabricated any theaters so far, so I will continue as I have been. Kudos on your thoroughness, though.
I did. Nothing on your favorite site, drive-ins.com. Only found info on Whalom in IMPA.
It was the 1963 IMPA.
It should be WHALOM not WHALON.