Point Drive-In
3601 Point Township Drive,
Northumberland,
PA
17857
3601 Point Township Drive,
Northumberland,
PA
17857
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Will not reopen for the 2024 season:
Northumberland, PA: Point Drive-In Not Reopening for 2024 Season [Apr 30, 2024]
It appears that the main screen was demolished right after the 2019 season. The main screen was shown standing but was missing a few parts of the screen in the September 2019 Google Maps view, but a September 2020 Google Earth view shows the main screen demolished.
While the main or 1st screen was present in a September 2019 Google Street View, it had been demolished by July 2022.
In the past, The Point, Mahoning, Pike, & ‘Port aka: Moon, Gem. Had the same landlord.
Reopened as the Point Drive-in Theatre on 27th April 1957 with"The Big T" and “Spoilers of the forest”.
I wonder if it’s the same solar farm that wanted to locate themselves where the Mahoning Drive in theater is in the Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania. I wonder if they just moved their site to this drive-in movie theater. Or it’s a different solar Company
NorthCentralPA.com reported yesterday that, although the Point owner David Renn had previously said 2022 was its last year, the drive-in will be reopening for the 2023 season. The landowner’s plan to build a solar farm on the site has been delayed, at least, though Renn said he won’t sell 2023 season passes. Visit while you can, I guess!
Opened on 26/6/1952 with 2 colour cartoons(not named), and “Flying Leathernecks”.
This opened as the Arrow Drive-In on June 26th, 1952 and closed in 1956 It reopened as the Point Drive-In by Comerford Theatres on April 27th, 1957. Both grand opening ads in the photo section.
As NYozoner implied, the June 21, 1952 issue of Billboard wrote “Harold E. Bell opened his new 250-car Arrow Drive-In near Danville, Pa.” So the true opening date was probably at least a week or two earlier. On Sept. 13, 1952, Billboard noted “New high-intensity lamps were installed at the Arrow Drive-In, Danville, Pa.” so maybe they were needed to expand the viewing field?
The first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac was the 1955 edition as the Arrow in Danville, capacity 400, owner “Bell & Kipp Bros.” It stayed that way through 1957. The 1959 edition listed it as the Point. For 1961-66, the capacity was 600 and the owner was Harold Bell.
In the 1980-88 MPAs, the Point was listed in Northumberland, owned by Sports Serv, apparently Farruggio’s company.
An October 1, 1957 ad (Hazleton Standard-Sentinel) for the cinematic masterpiece Walk Into Hell mentioned the Point Drive-In in Danville.
An April 2000 article in that paper said Renn was opening a Sunday flea market at the Motor-Vu Drive-In at Nescopeck. “Renn also operates the Point Drive-In, Danville, and features a flea market every Sunday.”
Great history info, Tine263! Thanks for sharing that and the photos! You all should go read the post, which includes info from David Renn, who “is the current owner and has been for the past 27 years” as of September 2015. Which would put his start at 1988 or 1989, which is just a little off from an article I found.
From the Winter 2005-2006 issue of Spectrum magazine, hosted at Archive.org:
The Point Drive-In, on Route 11 near Danville, was one theater to screen adult films.
“There was very low overhead,” says Dave Renn, manager (sic) of the Point. “They needed only one person to run the projector and one for the concession stand – people rarely got out of their cars.”
After about 15 years of screening adult films, the theater abandoned the practice following the 1987 season. “Figures were really good for it [pornographic films],” says Mike Danchak, who managed the Point when the change was made. “The problem was video was taking over,” he says.
… After the “X”-rated era ended, Danchak and owner Joe Farruggio transformed the Point from single to triple screen and added FM stereophonic sound. Danchak says (garbled) to return to a family-friendly environment, something Renn has maintained since taking over in 1990.
… “We tried a flea market a couple of years ago,” Renn says, “but it didn’t work out because the summers were so hot and dry.”
June 21, 1952 article in Billboad indicates that the Arrow Drive-In in Danville, PA, has been recently opened.
If anyone is interested, I found some interesting information about the history of the theater (plus photos from our visit!!) –
Drive-In Adventures Point 3 Drive-In
This drive-in opened as the Arrown Drive-In in 1954, it became the Point Drive-In in 1958. Opened as a single screen drive-in. The website is no longer an active website. They only have a facebook page. It is listed as the Point 3 Drive-In. Open seasonally April thru September. 600 car capacity and has made the conversion to digital projection. Facebook page