The Valley Drive-In was located west of Hotchkiss at 32070 CO-92 Hotchkiss, CO. The drive-in was located on the south side of CO-92.
Today, the entrance is a private residence while most of the property is an open field. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining apart from what may be remnants of the screen which sat on the SE corner of the property. The private home also sits “catty-corner” in the same general area where the projection booth/concession stand was located in a 1964 aerial photo.
Upon further examination, the remnants of the concession stand/projection booth may still remain. And part of the screen may still be standing, although it’s in very poor condition.
A better address (at least for Google) is 6006 Interstate Access Road, Amarillo, TX. The drive-in was located on the south side of the road and appears to have closed because of the highway expansion.
The remnants of the ramps existed until recently and today the property has been plowed over and no trace remains.
A closer address, according to Google Maps, is 23222 Co Rd 621, Coshocton, OH.
A 1960 aerial photo shows the drive-in on County Road 621, which is the next road to the NE along I-36 from Co Road 1 A. The drive-in sat about ¼ mile up the road on the south side.
Today, Coshocton Pallet & Door Building Materials sits on the property and apart from its triangular shape, there is no trace of the old drive-in remaining.
You can also use the address, 1191 Co Rd 66, Hornell, NY which appears on Google Maps. Today, the property is partially occupied by an Aldi Food Market with the rest being intersected by HWY NY 36.
From looking at the Topo maps and 1952 aerial photo, the land behind the drive-in was a golf course during and after World War II that appears to have been razed for residential dwellings around 1952 that never came about. Today, it’s still mostly an open field which does offer a track.
If it ever was an airfield, it sported an awfully short runway. There is a creek that cuts the field practically in half and would not make for a pleasant landing.
It would be helpful to know the opening date of the drive-in, which does seem well established in 1952. That would help in understanding the origin of the name “Air Sho” and whether it had anything to do with an airfield that seemingly was gone long before the drive-in came about.
After looking at the corner of Craft and Chieftain which is to the east of the drive-in, that is considerably closer to matching the photo assuming it was taken on the SE corner of the intersection looking NW. It also makes considerable sense to stick the marquee at that intersection as opposed to the entrance of the theater.
It’s close enough for me to say that it is the same and I apologize for not considering that possibility when looking at the photo. The area has changed considerably with a tire store (converted strip mall it appears) on the corner. The building on the left could be the high school and the raised manhole cover looks nearly the same, albeit changed over time.
What clinched it for me was the single-story house seen just to the right of the marquee with the chimney. That house, although changed somewhat, still exists and you can see it on Google Street View. The two-story house to the left has changed quite a bit and almost threw me, but again, I apologize for not taking another location into consideration when looking at the photo.
Another thing that bugs me is the photo. It appears to have been taken in 1958 (“Windom’s Way” was released in ‘57, but “The Big Beat” was '58). It is taken from SW of the drive-in entrance on the opposite side of the road looking NE. It has to be since we see a road next to the marquee and nothing like that existed on the south side of the street.
Yet, the houses appear to be too close and the building on the left does not appear in the 1952 or 1967 aerial photo or any topo map from the time. If you use Google Street View, the houses are considerably further back and that building has never existed anywhere near that location.
Also, you can see the shadow of the power poles on the street, yet no pole was located in that spot, it was considerably further to the west. Not to mention that no photo shows telephone poles and lines on the north side of the street.
I do not believe what we see in the photo matches the area around the entrance of the drive-in. So, either the photo is from a different “Air Sho” or the drive-in on Chieftain Way is not the “Air Sho”.
The address is 1705 State Hwy 411, Johnson City, TN. The drive-in sat on the south side of the road with the screen on the SE corner of the property. The topo maps do not reveal the entrance/exit roads of the drive-in.
Today, most of the property is a parking lot along with a couple of businesses. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The marquee today is different in design than the photo, so it appears some changes were made before the theater closed. Also, it sits well away from the highway, so either it was moved or the road was moved at some point.
A closer address (at least for the Google Map) is U.S. 421 and W Hopewell Rd, Versailles, IN. This location is just to the south of the drive-in which sits on the west side of US 421. The previous address kept placing the Google Map in the center of Versailles.
A much closer address (at least for Google Maps) is Alabama 59 and County Road 48 S, Summerville, AL. The drive-in was located just to the south of the intersection on the west side of Alabama 59.
Today, it appears to be owned by Davis Nursery with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/y7ryvkub
Found It!
The drive-in was located on the west side of the town at 200 Marguerite St, Gallup, NM 87301. By 1962, the drive-in had been demolished.
Today, the property has a Shop ‘n Save store and there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/ybxxbu8b
Found It!
The drive-in was located on the SE corner of Aztec Ave & Basilio Dr, Gallup, NM 87301, on the east side of town.
Today, the property is mostly empty and you can still see the ramps.
http://tinyurl.com/y89qcfxy
Found It!
The address (according to Google) is 1203 South 3rd Street, Jal, NM. Today, the property holds a private residence and what appears to be a business.
You can still see the ramps, entrance/exit road, and the ticket booth is still standing.
http://tinyurl.com/ycznldfy
Found It!
The address is 3405 Broadway Blvd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105.
Today, the property is occupied by All Jeep Parts & Sales with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/ybj43zoo
Found It!
The Valley Drive-In was located west of Hotchkiss at 32070 CO-92 Hotchkiss, CO. The drive-in was located on the south side of CO-92.
Today, the entrance is a private residence while most of the property is an open field. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining apart from what may be remnants of the screen which sat on the SE corner of the property. The private home also sits “catty-corner” in the same general area where the projection booth/concession stand was located in a 1964 aerial photo.
http://tinyurl.com/ycfe5b77
Upon further examination, the remnants of the concession stand/projection booth may still remain. And part of the screen may still be standing, although it’s in very poor condition.
Found it!
The drive-in was located at 101 E Joy Dr, Anthony, NM 88021. It was NW of the city and today it is the La Similla Food Center.
All that is left of the drive-in is the general shape of the property and the concrete foundation for the screen.
http://tinyurl.com/ya3gmzkm
The entrance road is now Clarks Lane. The property itself is mostly empty, but there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A closer address (at least for Google) is 400 Golf Links Road, Hot Springs, AR.
Today, the property is occupied by Forest Grade Mobile Home Community with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/yb6cbx43
A better address (at least for Google) is 6006 Interstate Access Road, Amarillo, TX. The drive-in was located on the south side of the road and appears to have closed because of the highway expansion.
The remnants of the ramps existed until recently and today the property has been plowed over and no trace remains.
http://tinyurl.com/y84urm6e
A closer address, according to Google Maps, is 23222 Co Rd 621, Coshocton, OH.
A 1960 aerial photo shows the drive-in on County Road 621, which is the next road to the NE along I-36 from Co Road 1 A. The drive-in sat about ¼ mile up the road on the south side.
Today, Coshocton Pallet & Door Building Materials sits on the property and apart from its triangular shape, there is no trace of the old drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/y9tfl2el
You can also use the address, 1191 Co Rd 66, Hornell, NY which appears on Google Maps. Today, the property is partially occupied by an Aldi Food Market with the rest being intersected by HWY NY 36.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/y8ys45q7
The land itself is now overgrown with trees. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
From looking at the Topo maps and 1952 aerial photo, the land behind the drive-in was a golf course during and after World War II that appears to have been razed for residential dwellings around 1952 that never came about. Today, it’s still mostly an open field which does offer a track.
If it ever was an airfield, it sported an awfully short runway. There is a creek that cuts the field practically in half and would not make for a pleasant landing.
It would be helpful to know the opening date of the drive-in, which does seem well established in 1952. That would help in understanding the origin of the name “Air Sho” and whether it had anything to do with an airfield that seemingly was gone long before the drive-in came about.
After looking at the corner of Craft and Chieftain which is to the east of the drive-in, that is considerably closer to matching the photo assuming it was taken on the SE corner of the intersection looking NW. It also makes considerable sense to stick the marquee at that intersection as opposed to the entrance of the theater.
It’s close enough for me to say that it is the same and I apologize for not considering that possibility when looking at the photo. The area has changed considerably with a tire store (converted strip mall it appears) on the corner. The building on the left could be the high school and the raised manhole cover looks nearly the same, albeit changed over time.
What clinched it for me was the single-story house seen just to the right of the marquee with the chimney. That house, although changed somewhat, still exists and you can see it on Google Street View. The two-story house to the left has changed quite a bit and almost threw me, but again, I apologize for not taking another location into consideration when looking at the photo.
Another thing that bugs me is the photo. It appears to have been taken in 1958 (“Windom’s Way” was released in ‘57, but “The Big Beat” was '58). It is taken from SW of the drive-in entrance on the opposite side of the road looking NE. It has to be since we see a road next to the marquee and nothing like that existed on the south side of the street.
Yet, the houses appear to be too close and the building on the left does not appear in the 1952 or 1967 aerial photo or any topo map from the time. If you use Google Street View, the houses are considerably further back and that building has never existed anywhere near that location.
Also, you can see the shadow of the power poles on the street, yet no pole was located in that spot, it was considerably further to the west. Not to mention that no photo shows telephone poles and lines on the north side of the street.
I do not believe what we see in the photo matches the area around the entrance of the drive-in. So, either the photo is from a different “Air Sho” or the drive-in on Chieftain Way is not the “Air Sho”.
Found it!
The address is 1705 State Hwy 411, Johnson City, TN. The drive-in sat on the south side of the road with the screen on the SE corner of the property. The topo maps do not reveal the entrance/exit roads of the drive-in.
Today, most of the property is a parking lot along with a couple of businesses. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/yaste3k7
The marquee today is different in design than the photo, so it appears some changes were made before the theater closed. Also, it sits well away from the highway, so either it was moved or the road was moved at some point.
If this is the drive-in that was located south of the Walmart on the opposite side of the road, then it was demolished, but nothing replaced it.
Today, it is overgrown with trees and no trace of the drive-in remains save perhaps for a faint outline.
The projection booth/snack bar is still standing, but the roof has caved in.
It appears that the screen has been torn down. The area where it was located has been cleared out.
A closer address (at least for the Google Map) is U.S. 421 and W Hopewell Rd, Versailles, IN. This location is just to the south of the drive-in which sits on the west side of US 421. The previous address kept placing the Google Map in the center of Versailles.
http://tinyurl.com/yb86bfcw
The latest overhead view from Google shows the ramps still present behind both dealerships, albeit faint, but they are still present.
The screen was an uninsurable, wooden tinderbox. The cause of the fire was accidental as the fire marshall ruled out arson, lightning, or electricity.
A much closer address (at least for Google Maps) is Alabama 59 and County Road 48 S, Summerville, AL. The drive-in was located just to the south of the intersection on the west side of Alabama 59.
Today, it appears to be owned by Davis Nursery with no trace of the drive-in remaining. http://tinyurl.com/y7ryvkub