Sundance Drive-In

Drive-In 54 on May 1, 2024 at 4:40 am

The drive-in has been renamed to the Sundance Drive-In and is reopening with a new owner Todd Williams. He owns and operates the Memory Lane Drive-In, in Monroe, MI. He is going to make improvements such as:

1. New bathrooms will be built in a separate building located behind the concessions stand.
2. A 3rd screen will be added.
3. Playground under screen 1.
4. New fencing throughout the property.
5. The old men’s room will be an arcade.
6. The old ladies room will be a fair food stand by itself.
7. The main concessions will be renovated to achieve speedy service while offering fantastic menu items.

He said these changes will not happen overnight and will not happen without your support of the Sundance. We will not ask for handouts or donations, we will simply ask for your patronage and concessions support as it is what keeps all theatres open.

Drive-In 54 on October 28, 2022 at 12:31 pm

It has reported that Sundance AKA Parkside has been saved and will reopen in 2023..

Drive-In 54 on September 3, 2019 at 5:48 pm

Hey Earl64 thanks for update on the marquee’s. I did not know that. But I did wonder why the marquee at the Parkside looked good but it looked funny also. I tell people to becareful using theatre catalogs and MPA’s in theatre reseach.

Earl64 on September 3, 2019 at 4:17 pm

To MichiganDriveins.com The Starlite Drive in Marquee was moved to the Parkside (Sundance Kid Drive In) When the Starlite was closed and torn Down. Ed Searles who owned both drive ins had it moved to his Parkside Drive In and had the “Star and Lite” changed to “Park and Side”. Parkside originally had a smaller marquee located on the bottom front of the screen in front and we continued using that for coming attractions etc. for years until it was taken down later on. Also Mike Kilgore, the capacity of the drive in was 840 plus not 500 as listed in your facts book. I was company supervisor for Armstrong Theaters and managed Parkside when we added the second screen. I have pictures somewhere of the second screen and the truck body used for back projection booth before it was installed in back of theater, plus pictures of the marquee when we had Mr No Leggs (Ted Volrath) appearing in person for his movie. Stupidly I have photos of him chopping a potato off my neck with a sword…LOL

MichaelKilgore on August 11, 2017 at 7:59 pm

Data dump on the Parkside from my Theatre Catalogs and Motion Picture Almanacs. Note that every source listed it in Toledo.

TC 1949-50: Exec: J. Dempsey, capacity 800.

TC 1952-56: J. Dempsey and Cooperative Ths. of Ohio, 622.

MPA 1953-59: Coop. Theatres, Ohio, 500.

MPA 1963: J. Armstrong, 500.

MPA 1969-76: 500.

MPA 1982: Armstrong, 500. (If the second screen was up, it didn’t notice)

MPA 1984-88: “Parkside 1 & 2”, Armstrong.

KenLayton on May 8, 2014 at 2:03 pm

That is good news!

Drive-In 54 on November 23, 2013 at 6:01 am

The Sundance lost it’s main screen tower during a tornado on November 17, 2013. It is the original screen tower that was put in 1949. Great Eastern Theatres is planning to replace it.

Michigandriveins.com on January 24, 2011 at 4:36 pm

The Parkside Drive-In actually opened 4/27/49. It’s second screen opened in July 1978, and it was renamed the Sundance Kid in 1987. It was advertised alongside the Butch Cassidy Drive-In with similar ads, so I’m assuming they were under the same ownership.

kencmcintyre on April 13, 2010 at 7:12 pm

Here is a 2009 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/y73o363

Michigandriveins.com on June 21, 2009 at 10:10 am

Thanks for posting the links to the americanclassicimages.com site Lost Memory, there’s some great old shots on that site! Here’s a 1999 shot I took of the original marquee.