Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre facts for kids
 Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre
Location in Ellsworth County, Kansas
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| 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 |
| 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/ | |
The Kanopolis Drive-in Theatre is a special outdoor movie theater in Kanopolis, Kansas. It first opened in 1952. Imagine watching a movie under the stars from your car! This theater has one big screen, about 60 feet wide and 30 feet tall. It can hold up to 165 cars. The Kanopolis Drive-in showed movies every year until 2006. But don't worry, it reopened in May 2011, bringing back the fun of outdoor movies!
History of the Drive-In
The Kanopolis Drive-in was started in 1952 by Tony Blazina, a veteran from the United States. Before opening the drive-in, Tony and his wife, Olga, had a "mobile movie" business. They would travel to small towns nearby. Local shops would hire them to show movies for their customers.
Tony learned a lot from this experience. He used what he learned to design his own drive-in theater. At first, the screen was smaller. But after a strong wind storm damaged the original screen, a new, bigger one was put in. This is the 60x30 feet screen you see today.
Family Business and New Owners
After Tony passed away in 1994, his family kept the business going. His wife, Olga, and their daughters, Liz Ray and Irene Pacey, managed the theater. The drive-in continued to operate without stopping until Olga passed away in 2009. Sadly, Liz Ray also passed away two months later.
Irene Pacey thought about reopening the theater after five years. But in the end, she decided to sell it. Josh and Amanda Webb, who live in Ellsworth County, bought the theater. The Webb family worked hard to fix up and update the drive-in. They put a new roof on the building where the projector is kept. They also installed new FM audio transmitters. These transmitters send the movie sound right to your car radio! Plus, they repainted the huge movie screen.
The Kanopolis Drive-in reopened in May 2011. In 2013, they upgraded to a digital projection system. This means movies are now shown using digital files instead of old film reels.
