Hi-Lite 30 Drive-In
34W113 Montgomery Road,
Aurora,
IL
60504
34W113 Montgomery Road,
Aurora,
IL
60504
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According to date listed on this website, this would be the last movie theater that was open in Aurora proper. The Fox Valley Theater closed a few years prior to this one. It’s slightly strange since Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois by population. However, there are several theaters close by with Hollywood Palms and the AMC Showplace in Naperville, the Cinemark Tinseltown in North Aurora and the Kendall 11 in Oswego.
Above address does not map correctly. Approx. location for this drive-in was across for the Skate Center. That address is 34W113 Montgomery Road.
My first time in a drive in (early 2000s) was in this theater!
Two new trailers have been posted on Cinema Treasures for my feature length documentary on the unsuccessful fight to save the Hi Lite 30 drive-in. They are posted under “Hi-Lites Last Gleaming”.
This drive in is the reason I got into the theatre business. My parents would take us every Saturday night. I remember my dad getting upset with me as I would stand outside the projection booth and watch the projectionist. Later I would come to know Stephnie who owned the theatres(the daughter of the man who built the theatre) as we had the same booking agent, Pat Wheeler. I ran the Plano Theatre in Plano, IL at the time. I was so glad that Buck Kolkmeyer’s company took her over and keep her going until the end.
I did get a few things form the drive in and indoor before they came down. The developer was very kind and really tired to get someone to buy it but as it was annexed into Aurora it would of had to be brought up to city codes and that was prohibitive. I finally got my own drive in to operate last year as I leased the Salem Drive In in Salem, IL. Hope to keep it running as long as possible.
Status should be closed/demolished.
The battle to save the oldest Drive-in in Illinois failed and Bigelow Homes, the developer, tore down the screen and the indoor theater last summer. The site is now an empty parcel of land. We are in the process of shooting a feature-length documentary about the theater and the politics that killed it. Check out more information on our website, wondersense.com. We also have additional pictures of the theater and the demolition.
View link
There are so few reasonably-priced options for entertaining the whole family—especially when it comes to seeing movies. We have loved the Hilite 30 since we’ve moved to Illinois. The treats, the staying up late, and knowing that it still feels like a date to me, and my husband, after our daughters fall asleep in the car. I hope that nostalgia does pay—and that Aurora features this gem!
The Hilite was sold to Bigelow Homes. It does not look like it will be open for the 2006 Season, but it may be aquired by the city of Aurora in the future, and there is a possibility that it will be re-opened. I will post more info at hilitedrivein.com as it becomes available.
Here’s a blog entry mentioning its sale last year
The above link now reads “Due to a sale of this property, Nova Cinemas will no longer be operating the Hilite 30 Drive-In. ” Anyone know what the story is?
The link for the theater is http://www.novacinemas.com/listing.cfm?ID=12.00000
I remember going here when the indoor theatre was still there and it was nicknamed “Dirty 30” for the X rated movies it showed.