Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre

Kanopolis Drive-In Theatre
Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre
Location of Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre in Ellsworth County, Kansas
Former names Lakeview Drive-In
Address 804 N Kansas Ave, Kanopolis, KS 67454
Location Kanopolis, Kansas
Coordinates 38°43′06″N 98°09′31″W / 38.718409°N 98.158611°W / 38.718409; -98.158611Coordinates: 38°43′06″N 98°09′31″W / 38.718409°N 98.158611°W / 38.718409; -98.158611
Owner Josh Webb, Amanda Webb
Type Theatre
Genre(s) movies
Seating type bench
Capacity 165 cars
Surface gravel, grass
Construction
Opened 1952
Renovated 2011, 2013
Closed 2006 - 2011
Website
http://www.kanopolisdrivein.com/

Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre, opened in 1952, is a single-screen Drive-in theater located on the northwest side of Kanopolis, Kansas. The theater, which has a 60x30 feet screen and a capacity of 165 cars, ran in continuous operation until 2006. The theatre re-opened as the Kanolopis Drive-In in May 2011.

History

Kanopolis Drive-in was opened by U.S. veteran Tony Blazina in 1952. Prior to its opening, Blazina had a mobile movie business, in which he and his wife, Olga, were hired by merchants in surrounding small towns to show movies for customers. From this experience, Tony designed a drive-in theater initially with a smaller screen. The current 60x30 feet screen was installed after the original was damaged in a wind storm. Following Tony's death in 1954, the family business was managed by Olga, and daughters, Liz Ray and Irene Pacey.[1]

The theater operated continuously until Olga's death in 2006, preceded by Ray a year earlier. Pacey considered reopening after five years, but decided to sell the theater to Ellsworth County residents Josh and Amanda Webb. The Webb family invested in maintenance and modernization of the theater, including the installation of a new roof on the projector house, new FM audio transmitters for movie sound, and repainting of the movie screen. The theater was reopened in May 2011, and converted to a digital projection system in 2013.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Mowery-Denning, Linda (May 12, 2011), "Kanopolis Drive-in offers old-fashioned movie experience", Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter, Ellsworth, KS, 135 (38), p. A1,A5
  2. ↑ Bickel, Amy (May 30, 2014). "Medicine Lodge drive-in goes dim". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
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