Pageant Drive-In
3492 Pageant Road,
Medicine Lodge,
KS
67104
3492 Pageant Road,
Medicine Lodge,
KS
67104
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Nearby Theaters
The Pageant Drive-In opened in May of 1952 with a capacity for 300 cars. It has been owned and operated by the Sill family for over 30 years. In 1971, the screen blew down, and the present screen has been newly painted in 2009. This drive-in closed for a few years starting in 1987.
Located on Highway 160 E. in Medicine Lodge, KS which is historically known for the Medice Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant, hence the theatre’s name ‘Pageant’.
It re-opened in 1995 and has hosted motorcycle clubs, church groups and special movie screenings. It was open all summer weekends. It was closed at the end of the 2013 season and was unable to find funds to purchase a digital projector. In April 2023 it was announced that new owners had taken over, with plans to reopen.
Contributed by
Lost Memory, Linda Leibham
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
This maybe closed. Google Maps no longer maps to the drive-in. Can anyone confirm this?
Some history on the Pageant Drive-In, The Pageant is located East of Medicine Lodge, Kansas, on Pageant Drive (Old Highway 160). The theatre was originally owned by Roy and May Colley, managed by their son, Craig, and opened in May of 1952. Owen Sill purchased and operated the Pageant from 1968 thru 1988, when the drive-in closed. Owen’s son, Mike Sill, re-opened the theater in 1995, installing FM Stereo broadcast equipment, and new projection equipment. The Pageant still has the speakers found at drive-ins, and many of those being used today are from different closed drive-ins, and still bear their logos. The Pageant Drive-In Theatre boasts a 275 car capacity, a 55' x 70' screen, and a fully operational Snack Bar, serving soft drinks, candy, hotdogs, hot buttered popcorn, as well as chili-dogs and nachos. The Pageant operates every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April thru September. That is the correct address and google does map it. The drive-in did not open for the 2014 season because their fund raising fell short of the $70K goal.
I’m afraid that the Pageant should be marked as closed. It’s web site’s front page still reads in part, “We’re still working to raise the approximately $70,000 for our digital upgrade, but unfortunately, We are not going to be able to open for the 2014 season.”
i’m also afraid that this theatre is gone i can’t find it on google maps and the aerial shows and empty field at the location of the drive-in. it has sadly from what it appears to be demolished! no!
Mike & Amy Sill recently posted on the theater’s Facebook page that the city of Medicine Lodge is purchasing the property with plans to reopen the Pageant Drive In either later in 2023 or by 2024.
A 2019 aerial along with the latest Google aerial (date unknown) does show the drive-in intact. If the property is going to be purchased and reopened, then I doubt the drive-in has been demolished.