During the coronavirus pandemic, news is changing quickly — even in the world of the drive-in movie theater.
Harvest Moon Twin Drive In Movie Theatre in Gibson City, which is about an hour drive south of Kankakee, and McHenry Outdoor Theater in northern Illinois, opened to huge crowds Friday, May 8.
Videos on the McHenry and Harvest Moon Facebook pages show lines of cars waiting to get in. McHenry’s owner, Scott Dehn, told a baiduhai reporter patrons started lining up at 10:30 a.m.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about drive-in movie theaters in the northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana areas and how the owners were deciding on when to open. Most just weren’t sure what to do after McHenry Outdoor Theater announced it was set to open May 1, and then had to walk that back after state officials informed them they could not open.
McHenry’s dilemma got a lot of attention, to the point that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker mentioned them in his May 5 press conference.
“Legislators from Metro East like Senator Chris Belt and Representatives LaToya Greenwood and Jay Hoffman suggested we re-open drive-in theaters — these long-loved, entertainment venues are an old way of doing things made new again — and they can now operate under our most recent stay-at-home order,” he said.
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The two theaters had limited concessions available and safety protocols in place for visits to restrooms. Patrons were asked to stay in their cars, instead of viewing the movies on lawn chairs or in open truck beds.
McHenry Outdoor Theater will show “Billy Madison” and “Tommy Boy” on May 15 and 16. Harvest Moon Twin Drive In Movie Theatre will post upcoming movies on its website.
Readers pointed out that I left out some other northern Illinois drive-ins, namely the Ogden 34 in Earlville and Midway Drive-In in Dixon.
Route 34 Drive-In Theatre will reopen May 15. Route 34 will show “Onward” (2020) and “Spies in Disguise” (2019) on its opening weekend. Route 34 Drive-In Owner Ron Magnoni, of Oglesby, asked customers to “please deal with us while we deal with coronavirus” in a recorded message.
Midway Drive-In will open on May 22. Mike and Mia Kerz own the Midway, which is in Dixon or Sterling, depending on which part of the drive-in you are at. Mike Kerz said he is excited to be opening and be able to offer “social distancing, something we have done since drive-ins began.”
Kerz, like other owners, has changed several policies, including offering online tickets sales. He encourages customers to buy tickets online so they won’t travel long distances to face the disappointment of a sold-out venue. An announcement about concessions is forthcoming.
On opening weekend, Midway will show “Grease” (1978) and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986). The owners chose two films with Illinois roots — “as a tribute to the state of Illinois. We’re Illinois Strong.” Mike Kerz points out that “Grease” was written by Chicago writers and “obviously (‘Ferris Bueller’) is a Chicago classic.”
Duke Goetz, owner of Goetz Sky-Vu Drive In in Monroe, Wisconsin, said they “will not reopen until we can serve food.”
49er Drive-In Theatre in Valparaiso, Indiana, does not plan to open at this time.
Drive-ins
Here is contact information for the closest drive-ins to the Chicago suburbs, southern Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana.
Midway Drive-In 91 Palmyra Road, Dixon, Illinois. Open at 7 p.m. Fridays to Wednesdays starting May 22. Tickets are $9.50 for adults; $4 for kids 3-11 years. Call 847-647-3124 or go to themidwaydrivein.net.
Route 34 Drive-In Theatre is at 4468 East 12th Road (Old Route 34), Earlville, Illinois. Open at 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting May 15. Tickets are $10 for adults; $7 for kids 5-12 years; $8 for seniors. Call 815-246-9700 or go to rt34drivein.com/.
Harvest Moon Twin Drive In Movie Theatre is at 1175 S Sangamon Ave., Gibson City, Illinois. Box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7:30 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays. Tickets are $7 for adults; $4 for children ages 4-11; $5 for a vehicle food permit. Call 815-268-4000 or go to harvestmoondrivein.com/.
McHenry Outdoor Drive-In Theater is at 1510 Chapel Hill Road, McHenry, Illinois. Box office opens at 6:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays until May 22; then daily. Tickets are $12 for adults; $6 for military/seniors and children. Call 847-362-3011 or go to facebook.com/mchenryoutdoor/.
Sky-Vu Drive In, 1704 11th St., Monroe, Wisconsin. Call 608-328-8111 or go to goetzskyvu.com.
49er Drive-in Theatre, 675 N Calumet Ave, Valparaiso, Indiana. Call 219-462-6122 or go to 49erdrivein.com.
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