![]() "We stepped in and helped indoor theaters stay open by doing outdoor programming for indoor theaters that were closed throughout the lockdowns, and then that sort of really grew our company," McClanahan said. McClanahan said they formed the company in 2019, which took off during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was necessary for people to be outside and social distancing. The couple runs a pop-up movie company, The Moving Picture Cinema, which specializes in creating outdoor movie experiences. It's been popular and well-attended ever since," McChesney said.īoth McChesney and McClanahan were no strangers to the movie theater industry when they decided to purchase and take over the historic theater. ![]() "It's been in continuous operation since (1934), so there was never a point where it closed and was abandoned or anything like that. Where to find drive-in theaters: Catch a flick at 10 of the best drive-ins in the Northeastern United States In continuous operation since 1934 Hearing the news and knowing about the history of Shankweiler's, she said the couple decided it was the perfect time to buy the business. ![]() McChesney said the theater, which was on the market for multiple years, was on the path to becoming a gas station. Lauren McChesney and Matthew McClanahan bought the theater in November 2022 after it was put on the market by previous owners Paul and Susan Geissinger, who had owned the Shankweiler's Drive-In since 1984. Since its opening, the theater has changed ownership multiple times and as the theater nears its 90th birthday, two new owners have taken control of the operation. ![]() There are around 300 drive-in movie theaters operating in the U.S., with 29 located in Pennslyvania. The theater was opened by Wilson Shankweiler, who originally called it Shankweiler’s Park-In Theatre. While it was originally the second drive-in theater to open in America, Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre is now the only one left from the early 1930s. Nine miles northwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, sits America's oldest drive-in movie theater, first opened in 1934. ![]()
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