OUT & ABOUT: Southington Drive-In celebrates 10 years of ‘reel’ nostalgia with lineup of classic, recent movies



SOUTHINGTON — The community-run Southington Drive-In on Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike will kick off its 10th season next month with a lineup of movies also celebrating big anniversaries.

“One of the movies we were able to get, and it has a 30-year anniversary this summer, is the original ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,’” said Dawn Miceli, Town Council vice chairwoman and drive-in committee member.

The movie will be shown Saturday, June 29 at sunset. Gates open at 6 p.m. with activities and a snack bar.

The season officially kicks off Saturday, June 1, with “Jaws,” a popular request every year. The drive-in has played the 1975 thriller about a killer shark nearly every year as its first movie.

“Our first year it was just, can we actually put out a product?” Miceli said of the decision by the town to take over the old privately owned drive-in that opened in 1955 and closed in 2003. “We have grown unbelievably.”

Last year the committee unveiled a new 22-foot tall entrance sign, a replica of the original 1955 sign. Other updates in the last decade include new projectors and painting the remaining screen saved from the original business.

The Southington Drive-In is one of only three remaining outdoor venues in Connecticut, along with the Mansfield Drive-In Theatre and Marketplace in Mansfield and Pleasant Valley Drive-In in Barkhamsted.

All 15 movies of the 2019 summer season in Southington are hosted by a non-profit or civic organization. Proceeds benefit local organizations.

Miceli said the committee has donated over $200,000 to the host groups over the last 10 years

The cost per carload for Southington residents is $12 and $18 for non-residents. Walk-ins are $2 per person. Debit or credit cards are not accepted.

Here’s the complete schedule:

Saturday, June 1 – Jaws

Saturday, June 8 – The Little Mermaid

Saturday, June 15 – Back to the Future

Saturday, June 22 –”Ralph Breaks the Internet

Saturday, June 29 – Indiana Jone and the Last Crusade

Saturday, July 6 – Bohemian Rhapsody

Saturday, July 13 – Up

Saturday, July 20 – Weekend at Bernie’s

Saturday, August 3 – Ice Age

Saturday, August 10 – Lady and the Tramp

Saturday, August 17 – Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope

Saturday, August 24 – Tangled

Saturday, August 31 - Ferdinand

Saturday, September 7 – Captain Marvel

Saturday, October 26 – Halloween Festival movies TBA

Gates open at 6 p.m. Movies begin at sunset.

akus@record-journal.com
203-317-2448
Twitter: @KusReporter



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