Westerner Drive-In

In June 1951, Boxoffice noted that the “500-car Bel-Air Drive-In in Eureka” was operated by Meribel Theatres of Rio Dell. The 1952 Theatre Catalog included Eureka’s Bel-Air, 500-car capacity, owner Walter Bell.

Advertisements in the Eureka Times Standard placed the Bel-Air Drive-In on Old Arcata Road. A 1956 aerial photo showed an intact drive-in on the west side of that road near Lily Lane.

The Bel-Air Drive-In advertised in the Times Standard through July 14, 1961. On July 15, its advertisement was headlined “Look! We’ve Changed Our Name!”, and that new name was the Westerner Drive-In Theatre on Old Arcata Road.

The last advertisement I could find for the Westerner Drive-In in the Times Standard was on Saturday, May 7, 1966, including shows for May 8. Two weeks later, another Meribel Theatres drive-in reopened, the Arcata Drive-In on Heindon Road.

A 1972 aerial photo showed the Westerner’s screen gone. No trace of the drive-in remains today.

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