I-70 Drive-In

September5,2018 The I-70 closed and at the time I thought like lot of other people it was for good. I even said it was dead and buried. The projectors all 4 were taken out who knows what had happen to all 4. 3 of the screens are now up in valley Nebraska. At new DRIVE IN called Quasar Drive In Theater. What remains the big main screen. The old ticket booths and concession stand still remains. The sign is still there most people call it the marque. Do to recent events I am now upgrading it from dead and buried to now where it is on LIFE SUPPORT HERE IS WHY. 1. COVID 19 THE CHINESE VIRUS I AM SEE ON NEWS CHANNELS HOW INDOOR THEATERS ARE RENTING THESE INFLATABLE SCREENS AND HAVING SHOWS OUTSIDE. 2. AMC THEATERS JUST SAID TODAY THEY HAVE LOST OVER 2 BILLION AND MAY NOT SURVIVE THE SOCIAL DISTANCING. NOW I GREWUP IN ST JOSEPH MO THEY HAD UPTO 2 DRIVE IN THEATERS UP THERE AND IM SURE THEY HAD A LOT MORE DRIVE IN THEATERS IN OTHER STATES I BET NOW AMC THEATERS MANAGEMENT WISH THEY HAD KEPT ALL THESE DRIVE IN THEATERS NOW. JUST LAST WEEK I WENT TO THE TWIN DRIVE IN THEATER THEY WERE ONLY CHARGING 20 A CAR LOAD GOT MY TICKETS EARLY ON LINE THAT DAY. THEY WERE PACKED TO THE MAX AND EVEN TURNING PEOPLE AWAY WHO HAD NO TICKETS. 3.I FOUND OUT THAT NIGHT THAT YELLOW FREIGHT DID NOT BY THE LAND. IF THE CURRENT OWNER WHO EVER IT IS WILLING TO SALE THE LAND I COULD SEE SOMEONE BRING THE I-70 DRIVE IN BACK TO LIFE LETS HOPE THIS HAPPENS

Opened with “Robin and the 7 hoods”, and “The Increbible Mr Limpet” and “Tall story”. Screens 2, 3 and 4 opened in 1991. Playground removed in 1991. Digital projection opened on all 4 screens in 2014.

1. What I have found out was the owners were wanting 50 grand a year, to keep the Drive In there. 2.Yellow freight bought the land and will soon be parking there trucks there 3.If you drive by on I -70 you can see that yellow freight has completely surrounded the Drive-In so this comes as no big surprise to me
2. I drove by there today 9-15-2018 about 1pm the car speakers are all removed from the poles.
3. Ticket booths still there
4. Concession stand still there
5. All 4 screens still there
6. BB Theaters didn’t own the land
7. Somebody from Omaha Nebraska bought 3 screens and car speakers and will be opening a new Drive In Theater in 2019 in the Omaha Nebraska Area so you can say you heard it here first
8. I remember driving buy the Drive In back in May2018 I remember seeing the I-70 Marque sign gone and the arch at time I thought it was damaged and under going repairs but as the summer kept going these were never put back up now we know the real reason as to why.
9. BB Theaters don’t own the land that the Twin Drive In is own but I really don’t think anyone wants to buy that land
10. That the Midway Drive In Asawatomie Kansas is closed and for sale for about 200 grand 13 That another Drive In is being built in Kentucky and Canada besides the one in Omaha Nebraska

You would think the people that lease the land would have had a closing week big movie event party to send the 1 70 off! Not so they just closed the place and the bulldozers will be coming in.

When did the I-70 split from one screen to four? It had to be before summer 1992, because that’s when I saw A League of Their Own there (in the rain). The 1988 IMPA still listed it as one screen, for what that’s worth.

There was an excellent article by Steve Everly in the Kansas City Star on Saturday May 24, 2014 about the I-70 and Twin Drive-In theaters. The article starts on the front page and continues on A12. It talks about B&B Theaters taking over the operation of the drive-ins, and that the switch to digital projection has been completed. Movie screens were repainted, and restrooms and the concession stand were upgraded. The seasonal grand opening was May 23.

A 2007 view of the Kansas City I-70 Drive In Theater entrance, sign and marquee here and the sign here. A close up of the sign here.

Here is a night view:
http://tinyurl.com/27pgp8