Deer Lake Drive-In
Route 61,
Orwigsburg,
PA
17961
Route 61,
Orwigsburg,
PA
17961
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Tlsloews.must have opened after 1956.Late 50’s like the article stated.
Maybe Mike Rogers has some info on this drive-in.
Photo of the Deer Lake Drive-In courtesy Nick’s Classic American Tehatres.
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I would always go up rte. 61 to Shamokin to visit a good friend of mine, and always said how I wished this Drive-in could be re-opened. Shame that its gone.
My father, Bernard Friedman, was the original builder and owner, with a partner whose name I forget, of the Deer Lake Drive-in. As a young boy I remember the building and the opening of the Drive-in. My father and his partner also owned the Pottsville Drive-in. I don’t know the date that the drive in was built but it had to be in the mid 50’s. I remember spending many weekend nights at the Deer Lake Drive-in and also remember spending many hours during the weekend helping to clean the grounds. Hope this is of interest to someone. Just wanted to fill in a little history.
From Republican-Herald (Pottsville, PA)
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The last remaining piece of the Deer Lake Drive-In Theatre is slowly disappearing.
For the last few weekends, a third party for property owner Forino Corp. LP, Reading, who wished to not be named, has been removing the screen and says the structure will be entirely down in a few weeks.
Once the site of a thriving drive-in movie theater built in the late 1950s, the property has been vacant and unused since the mid-1990s.
Forino plans to develop 108 single-family homes on the site, according to Ken Schnader, project manager for Forino.
Forino bought the property in December 2003.
At the last West Brunswick Township Board of Supervisors meeting, Forino was granted a time extension on preliminary plans for the project, township secretary Patricia Reazor said.
Schnader said they hope the final plans will be approved by December.
The third party removing the screen said he is planning to donate a portion of the scrap metal from the movie screen to local Boy Scout troops.
A number of groups have tried to restore the drive-in over the years. Joseph B. McDade and Kevin J. Moxley, both of Langhorne, unsuccessfully attempted to get West Brunswick Township to grant a variance to allow them to operate the theater in 2002.
Under the township’s regulations for that site, a drive-in operation is not allowed, but the Deer Lake Drive-In, which was already there before the ordinance was created, was “grandfathered.†The site then closed for several years and could not reopen without a variance.
Here is a photo from 2006.
This is a more recent photo.
Another photo can be seen here.
Passed by there yesterday… The trees surrounding the lot have been cleared and there’s a pile of rubble where (I’m guessing) the consession stand once stood. Screen is still there and is much more prominent with all the trees gone :) There was a bulldozer on site and a sign for a construction crew by the road.
LOL! I don’t know about that, Ken. They probably wouldn’t do too much business if they did make you run! I can tell you it is now called “Butterfly and Bee Bed and Breakfast”. It is made up of numerous camp-type log cabins…quite quaint. They are the original from when Ali trained. His family would stay in them when he was in the area.
Do they make you run five miles at six in the morning before they serve breakfast?
Yes Ken, Deer Lake is the location of the old training camp of Muhammad Ali. The drive in theater is located directly across the highway from the road leading to the camp. They are less than ¼ mile apart. The training camp still exists, and has been converted to a bed and breakfast by its new owners.
I think Deer Lake was the location of Muhammad Ali’s training camp in the 1970s.
The property has been sold, and the concession stand bull-dozed. As I understand it, the property is to beome, what else…a housing development. The rusty screen still stands, but is sure to suffer the same fate of the concession stand soon.
I go past there about twice a month… haven’t seen any changes in a long while. Haven’t noticed if the for sale signs are there anymore, either. Was by there last weekend, just looks like it’s deteriorating fast. Would love to do a photo project there, but am afraid it’s now private property.
It was there as of September 2005 when I last passed by it. The property has been vandalized somewhat and the property is for sale.
Here is a photo of the Deer Lake Drive-In.