Fido Pawses at the Drive-in
Have a tail-wagger of a good time at the show with Fido.
By Cheryl Smyth
Looks like Fido will get to hang out at the movies more often these days—the drive-in movies that is. The outdoor cinematic experience is making a small resurgence and some of these theaters are brightening their screens once again. Spending quality time with family and friends on summer nights under a canopy of stars while watching the latest the silver screen has to offer is a delightful way to spend an evening, especially if your best fur pal is along for the ride.
The first drive-in opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1933. The outdoor theater’s popularity peaked in the late 1950’s and early 60’s with over 4,000 across the United States and a few hundred more in Canada and Australia according to driveinmovie.com. Then their numbers started to drop for several reasons, including the arrival of VHS movies. Eventually these mom-and-pop operations were required to replace old equipment with expensive newer technology, which forced more closures. Now the website estimates only about 330 are scattered across the states and very few beyond that. Over the past few years, however, there have been about 20 drive-ins reopened or newly built.
