That driveway was pretty long and used to hold a lot of cars waiting in line, especially for the flea markets on the weekend. I’ll never forget watching crayfish walk up from the little creek that ran parallel to the driveway, while we waited in line early Sunday mornings. That marquee was clean and elegant to me. Great memories! Thanks!
Wow, thank you so much for uploading all these photos of the Wheeling Twin Drive-In!! I have fond memories as a 12 year old selling at the flea market here on Sundays with my mom, dad, grandmother, and 2 uncles around 1983-1984. Pretty much the era these flea market photos were taken. I used to buy baseball cards from a collectibles dealer with a trailer towards the entrance that sold there for years. I bought some of my first Atari 2600 video games brand new from a dealer there and I had my first real candy dipped apple here, too. I’ll never forget the Vanguard arcade game they had in the Concession Stand. It used to play the music all the time. I can hear it in my head as I write this. We used to drive from the NW side (Brickyard Mall) at like 5am to wait in line early for the better spots to sell junk my parents found in the alleys and rummage sales to make a little extra money. My family sold at so many other drive-in Chicago area flea markets in the 1970s-1980s.
Thanks again. Brings back such good memories! Joe
I, too, lived and grew up in the neighborhood, at the corner of Grand and Narragansett. As others have said, that other website is wrong. Sportmart, Babies R Us, and Toys R Us, all opened in 1987. If I remember correctly, the location of the theater in 1987 was an empty lot and was late to build, finally opening in 1989. At the time, The Brickyard was desperate for a theater. The only first run theater near us was Norridge. I saw Back to the Future 2 here, Christmas of 1989, and a bunch of friends and I saw a midnight showing of one of the then new Faces of Death movies here in the 1990s.
My childhood memories of the Sheridan aren’t of the movies, as well, it was for the Sunday morning flea market that my dad and I sold junk at from 1983-1986. We used to take Harlem Avenue all the way here from the far NW side of Chicago. My dad let me set up a table of baseball cards and collectibles when I was 14 years old and one Sunday I made more money than him. I felt so bad at the time because he worked so hard picking junk out of the alleys to sell here and help out the family. I still have the wood and glass display case I used here and this led me to a career as an eBay reseller of now 19 years. I remember this old man everyone called “Pops” that sold baseball cards here, too, out of his van towards the back near the fence. Many a baseball card dealer at the time that sold here. I never had a chance to go to Haunted Trails, but I’ll never forget hearing the batting cage “pings” in the distance. One day after selling, my dad let me drive his 1978 Chevy Caprice Classic in the empty part of the drive-in. First time I ever drove a car. Great memories.
My childhood memories of the Twin Drive-In isn’t for the movies, it was for the flea markets on Sunday mornings. I used to help my mom and dad sell junk here almost every weekend in the summer from 1981-1984. We had to leave our home on the far NW side of Chicago way before sunrise just to wait in line by the theater marquee off of Milwaukee Avenue so we could get a good seller space. This was the place I also tried my first ever candy (not caramel) apple. If my parents sold well, I lucky to buy a then “new” Atari 2600 video game cartridge from one of the handful of video game dealers that sold here at this time. I’ll also never forget the Vanguard coin-op video game they had in the concession stand. It played music even if no one was playing the game. A ton of people used to go to this flea market, it’s sad it’s now gone. I can remember some sellers like it was yesterday. Good times.
That driveway was pretty long and used to hold a lot of cars waiting in line, especially for the flea markets on the weekend. I’ll never forget watching crayfish walk up from the little creek that ran parallel to the driveway, while we waited in line early Sunday mornings. That marquee was clean and elegant to me. Great memories! Thanks!
Wow, thank you so much for uploading all these photos of the Wheeling Twin Drive-In!! I have fond memories as a 12 year old selling at the flea market here on Sundays with my mom, dad, grandmother, and 2 uncles around 1983-1984. Pretty much the era these flea market photos were taken. I used to buy baseball cards from a collectibles dealer with a trailer towards the entrance that sold there for years. I bought some of my first Atari 2600 video games brand new from a dealer there and I had my first real candy dipped apple here, too. I’ll never forget the Vanguard arcade game they had in the Concession Stand. It used to play the music all the time. I can hear it in my head as I write this. We used to drive from the NW side (Brickyard Mall) at like 5am to wait in line early for the better spots to sell junk my parents found in the alleys and rummage sales to make a little extra money. My family sold at so many other drive-in Chicago area flea markets in the 1970s-1980s. Thanks again. Brings back such good memories! Joe
I, too, lived and grew up in the neighborhood, at the corner of Grand and Narragansett. As others have said, that other website is wrong. Sportmart, Babies R Us, and Toys R Us, all opened in 1987. If I remember correctly, the location of the theater in 1987 was an empty lot and was late to build, finally opening in 1989. At the time, The Brickyard was desperate for a theater. The only first run theater near us was Norridge. I saw Back to the Future 2 here, Christmas of 1989, and a bunch of friends and I saw a midnight showing of one of the then new Faces of Death movies here in the 1990s.
My childhood memories of the Sheridan aren’t of the movies, as well, it was for the Sunday morning flea market that my dad and I sold junk at from 1983-1986. We used to take Harlem Avenue all the way here from the far NW side of Chicago. My dad let me set up a table of baseball cards and collectibles when I was 14 years old and one Sunday I made more money than him. I felt so bad at the time because he worked so hard picking junk out of the alleys to sell here and help out the family. I still have the wood and glass display case I used here and this led me to a career as an eBay reseller of now 19 years. I remember this old man everyone called “Pops” that sold baseball cards here, too, out of his van towards the back near the fence. Many a baseball card dealer at the time that sold here. I never had a chance to go to Haunted Trails, but I’ll never forget hearing the batting cage “pings” in the distance. One day after selling, my dad let me drive his 1978 Chevy Caprice Classic in the empty part of the drive-in. First time I ever drove a car. Great memories.
My childhood memories of the Twin Drive-In isn’t for the movies, it was for the flea markets on Sunday mornings. I used to help my mom and dad sell junk here almost every weekend in the summer from 1981-1984. We had to leave our home on the far NW side of Chicago way before sunrise just to wait in line by the theater marquee off of Milwaukee Avenue so we could get a good seller space. This was the place I also tried my first ever candy (not caramel) apple. If my parents sold well, I lucky to buy a then “new” Atari 2600 video game cartridge from one of the handful of video game dealers that sold here at this time. I’ll also never forget the Vanguard coin-op video game they had in the concession stand. It played music even if no one was playing the game. A ton of people used to go to this flea market, it’s sad it’s now gone. I can remember some sellers like it was yesterday. Good times.