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. It has one big screen and is located in Kanopolis, Kansas. This drive-in first opened its doors in 1952.
Imagine watching a movie from your car! The screen is huge, measuring 60 feet wide and 30 feet tall. Up to 165 cars can park and enjoy a film here. The theater showed movies continuously for many years until 2006. It then reopened in May 2011 as the Kanopolis Drive-In.
The Story of Kanopolis Drive-In
How It All Started
The Kanopolis Drive-in was created by a U.S. veteran named Tony Blazina in 1952. Before building the drive-in, Tony and his wife, Olga, had a mobile movie business. They would travel to small towns and show movies for local shops and their customers. This experience helped Tony design his own drive-in theater.
The first screen was smaller than the one you see today. A strong wind storm damaged the original screen. After that, the current 60x30 feet screen was put in place.
Changes Over the Years
Tony Blazina managed the theater until he passed away in 1994. After his passing, his wife, Olga, and their daughters, Liz Ray and Irene Pacey, took over the family business. The theater continued to operate 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. However, she decided to sell it to Josh and Amanda Webb, who lived in Ellsworth County. The Webb family put a lot of effort into fixing up and updating the theater. 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! The movie screen was also repainted to look fresh and new.
The Kanopolis Drive-in officially reopened in May 2011. In 2013, they upgraded their system to use digital projection. This means movies are shown using modern digital files instead of old film reels.
