Christian Drive-In

The front page of the April 3, 1953 edition of the Lodi News-Sentinel heralded the grand opening of the Christian Drive-In that night. Its first program was “Golgatha” and “Atom Bomb - Right or Wrong,” reflecting its usual pattern of a religious feature paired with a secular short movie.

The drive-in was on the grounds of the 99 Christan Church on Highway 99 and Quasnick Road south of Lodi. The unincorporated area later became the census-designated place known as Morada.

This “miniature of commercial drive-in shows” had a snack bar, and admission was free though donations were encouraged. The News-Sentinel said the church planned to expand the drive-in to 125 cars, which refutes an Boxoffice note that erroneously claimed it already held 125 cars.

The drive-in advertised regularly in the News-Sentinel theatre section for two years, continuing despite a change of pastors at the church. The last advertisement I could find was on July 31, 1954, although mentions of the 99 Christian Church persisted until at least 1963.

A 1957 aerial photo showed a long, narrow building about 500 feet north of Quasnick Road. That building remained through 2009, but the 2010 photo showed that it had been razed. Another church had been erected just south, adjacent to Quasnick.

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