The Mahoning Drive-In Opens for the 2019 Season!

***Note: some photos in this post are shared without permission from the Mahoning's website and Facebook page (but hopefully they won't mind!)***

The Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, PA opens for the 2019 season on Friday, April 26. There are many reasons that this fact is a good thing, an amazing thing and even kind of an historical thing. Please allow me to explain.

The Mahoning was built in 1948. That would seem to indicate that LAST year was a year to celebrate (being the 70th anniversary and all). And, in fact, I DID write a post about the theater last year for that precise reason (The Mahoning Drive-In Theater), but then was subsequently schooled about the fact that, while the drive-in was BUILT in 1948, it actually OPENED for its first season in 1949. So NOW we can finally celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Mahoning as an operating drive-in! It's also worth mentioning that it has been in CONTINUOUS operation for that entire time (and still uses the same 35mm projectors that were installed when it opened)! Of course, the fact that it opened in 1949 means that 2019 marks it's 71st season in operation, but we'll stick with focusing on the 70th anniversary for this post...

In a time when drive-ins have become an endangered species this survival story is very impressive. In the 1950s there were over 4,000 drive-in theaters in the United States. Today there are only about 300 left. Keeping the remaining theaters alive is really a labor of love. A number of years back Hollywood announced that all theaters (including drive-ins) would have to convert from 35mm projectors to digital projectors if they wanted to continue getting the latest films--which would no longer be produced on film and only be available in a digital format. The decline of drive-ins really sped up with this ultimatum. Many drive-ins are seasonal and are only open for six months a year at most. Very few were in a position to suddenly shovel out the $50,000-$70,000 or so that it would take to convert them to digital projection (which includes not only new, expensive projectors, but also costly upgrades to the projection booth). For many theaters this was the final nail in the coffin and the excuse for the owners to finally throw in the towel.

The Mahoning was in the exact same position as hundreds of other drive-ins. There was no realistic way for them to raise the funds necessary to stay in business. That could have easily been the end of the story. The drive-in could have closed and the land could have been sold off to make another strip mall or housing development--both of which would undoubtedly be much more profitable options for the land. But the people behind the Mahoning made a bold and daring decision. They passed on buying the digital projectors and instead switched to an all-retro format featuring older 35mm prints of movies rather than the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Instead of projecting digital images onto the screen the Mahoning would continue to project 35mm film images from the same projectors that have been in the projection booth since it was built in 1948! This was a very exciting prospect for old movie fans (by "old movie fans" I'm referring to fans of old movies, but I suppose it also applies to old people, like myself, who happen to be fans of movies too). But it's also something that might be just a bit tough to sell to the average drive-in customer who is used to seeing the latest releases up on the screen rather than old movies that they could throw on the DVD player and watch at home.

I'm not going to say that this process was easy, or that it was an overnight success. While they didn't have to hand over all that money for the digital projectors, they did lose the opportunity to get all the new movies that would allow for a steady, predictable cash flow. They also lost the relatively automatic pipeline that those movies would come through. The old 35mm movies might seem like a cheaper option, but they still need to be tracked down, found, rented and acquired before a show could go on. This is NOT an easy process by any means. But the Mahoning was all in. Starting with the 2015 season they began screening retro shows. It wasn't just random films from the old days though. They put a lot of work and thought into producing themed shows that made the experience something special. They started a new tradition that year by opening the season with a double feature of "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (1971). This Friday those same beloved classics will open up the 2019 season as well.

Business wasn't "great" for the first couple of seasons and the operators actually didn't even pay themselves. All of the money generated was put right back into the drive-in and the movies. But they began to develop a following of fans who spread the word. Now people come from all over the country to attend the great themed shows and see films they may love but have never had the opportunity to see on a giant screen. And that screen IS huge. It's actually the largest one in Pennsylvania and one of the largest remaining in the whole country!

Some of the themes from over the past few years have included the Vampyrty (vampire movies), Zombiefest (zombies, duh!), Bite Night ("Jaws" and "Jurassic Park"), Drive-In VHS Fest (which features, yes, old VHS tapes projected onto the screen rather than 35mm films!) and retrospectives of the works of some great directors and actors like John Carpenter, Martin Scorsese and Bill Murray. There are also double-, triple- and sometimes quadruple-features of films from series like "Ghostbusters", "Indiana Jones" and "Harry Potter".

A flyer from the 2018 season

After the traditional opening weekend some of the shows already lined up for this year include: 90's Action Party (with "The Last Action Hero" and "Demolition Man"), Killer Klown Double Down ("Killer Klowns from Outer Space" and "IT"), Turtle Power! (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Zombie Fest V (NINE classic zombie films over three nights!), Lost in the Labyrinth ("Labyrinth" and "Pan's Labyrinth"), Vampyrty ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Fright Night" and "Fright Night II"), Bite Night, Godzilla-Palooza! (featuring SIX classic Godzilla movies), Harry Potter and the 8 Movie Marathon, Christmas in July ("Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2") and Universal Monster Mash (four classic Universal monster movies). And that's only the list through early August! Check out the theater's website and Facebook page for a LOT more information on the shows and the Mahoning than I could ever hope to share here.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. The theme weekends also include special custom posters featuring great artwork specific to that show, special menu items, special displays of memorabilia and props from many of the films being shown, vendors, special guests, director Q&As, contests, promotions and giveaways. It all makes for a great experience for the film fan!

As if all this weren't enough (a drive-in celebrating its 70th anniversary AND a great story of a successful rebranding and rebirth as an all-retro theater) there's one more thing to celebrate as the Mahoning opens up for another season. A few years ago a team of filmmakers was looking to create a documentary on drive-ins. Once they found the Mahoning they decided to focus on it and its story for the film. The final product is the documentary "At The Drive-In", and after some wait and a number of premieres around the country it has finally been released and is available for purchase on DVD and in digital format (rental or purchase)! You can get it at Amazon, Amazon Prime and iTunes.

Here's the trailer for the film:

I can't finish this story without sharing yet another hardship that the Mahoning has had to face in its journey recently. I mentioned earlier that all of the money from the first few seasons went directly back into the drive-in rather than paying the people who run it. That's a difficult way to run a business, but it's just what they had to do in order to keep the Mahoning alive. If that weren't hard enough, the past couple seasons have given them even MORE opportunities to spend money they really don't have. In the winter of 2018 a storm heavily damaged the theater's marquee sign. It had to be repaired and restored in time for last season. And then this past winter brought another expensive repair challenge to the Mahoning. A wind storm heavily damaged another of the property's few structural features. And this time it was THE most important one--the screen! A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for the repairs.

I've only been able to attend a few of the Mahoning's shows, but consider myself very lucky to have been able to go whenever possible. I live in Massachusetts, so it's a bit of a long ride to go all the way to Pennsylvania to go to a drive-in. Luckily I have a friend who lives even further away (New Hampshire) who goes nearly every weekend and has become part of the Mahoning's extended family. He has brought me along when time and circumstance has allowed me to attend. I've seen three shows over the course of the first four seasons of the Mahoning's new format: an Indiana Jones double feature in 2015, an awesome show called Bigfoot Weekend that featured SIX old Bigfoot films mostly from the 1970s in 2017 (which I wrote about in this post and this post) and VHS Fest II in 2018. I would LOVE to get to a couple more shows this year (Godzilla-Palooza is VERY high on the wish list), but time will tell. The good news is that the Mahoning has continuously increased its audience and reach. As far as I know it's THE all-retro drive-in theater at this point. Other places put on occasional shows and special events, but mostly still feature the latest Hollywood releases (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

SEE YOU AT THE DRIVE-IN!