NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre is America’s oldest drive-in movie theater still in operation, and it has plans to make its 89th birthday a night to remember.
- Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre, America’s oldest drive-in movie theater, will have its 89th birthday on April 15
- There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony and birthday party to celebrate
- The new owners, Matthew McClanahan and Lauren McChesney, bought the drive-in in November
The new owners, Matthew McClanahan and Lauren McChesney, plan a ribbon-cutting ceremony and birthday party on April 15 before the night’s movies, according to a news release by The Moving Picture Cinema.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, at 11 a.m., and will be free and open to the public. The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce will attend.
At the birthday party, which will happen in the evening, there will be a performance by magician Mark Mysterrio, face painting, caricatures and other special guests.
Tickets can be bought online or in person at the box office.
Grand reopening
The birthday is special because it marks the grand re-opening and the first spring and summer season for McClanahan and McChesney.
They bought the theater in November after planning to open one in the Philadelphia area for years. They are the fourth set of owners in the theater's history.
“When you’re the oldest, every year is a milestone.”Lauren McChesney, owner of Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre
“Eighty-nine might not seem like a milestone,” McChesney said. “But when you’re the oldest, every year is a milestone.”
With help from local businesses and community partners, they kept the theater open and operating throughout the winter.
“Matt always says the weather is part of the experience," McChesney said. "It's just neat to see a drive-in with all the snow falling.”
She’s said she hopes the model boosts other local businesses, during a time when the weather can create a real downturn.
Recently, the drive-in partnered with Lehigh Valley Book Festival and had a book signing of "You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince" and "Never Been Kissed" with Timothy J. Janovsky. That night, it held a book drive for Lehigh Valley Reads.
“We were pleasantly surprised to see such strong support for our theater, even in the winter months,” McClanahan said. “It makes me even more excited about what the spring and summer season will bring, not just to us at the drive-in, but to our surrounding community.”
Shankweiler's history
The couple also runs The Moving Picture Cinema, an on-the-go movie theater business. It’s owned and operated by McClanahan. McChesney handles marketing and business development.
The theater was built in 1934 by Wilson Shankweiler. It was the second drive-in ever built, and holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest operating drive-in theater in the world.
Drive-in theaters peaked in the late 1950s, with 4,000 across the country. Now, there are about 330 left, with about 30 in Pennsylvania, according to DriveInMovie.com.
“We've had a lot of older people who went there on dates when they were younger,” McChesney said. “So it's one of those things. It’s been ingrained in this community for such a long time.”
Stephanie Sigafoos contributed to this report.
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