Sturbridge Drive-In
362 Main Street,
Sturbridge,
MA
01566
362 Main Street,
Sturbridge,
MA
01566
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Affiliated Theatres, Daytz Theatre Enterprises Corp.
Previous Names: Ride-In Drive-In
Nearby Theaters
Opened on May 11, 1939, the Sturbridge Drive-In was a sure sign of hope that our long winter might soon be over. Around the middle of March, the marquee would drop "Closed for Season" and post the first shows of the season for the last weekend of the month. In 1948/1949 it had operated as the Ride-In Drive-In and was closed.
Besides the great Disney movies of the 1950’s, my clearest memory was the night my brother and I got lost coming back from the snack-bar to the car. Suddenly, the movie was interrupted by the announcer asking my parents to rescue us at the stand.
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
362 U.S. 20, Sturbridge, MA 01566
The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in.
Here is a 1966 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.
The drive-in was demolished sometime between 1966 and 1971, since there is no trace of it in the 1971 aerial photo imagery.
362 Main St, Sturbridge, MA 01566.
The address for this Drive-in is has been changed.
Please update.
The May 15, 1940 issue of The Exhibitor reported that the “Strurbridge (sic) Drive-In opened” on May 11, managed by Joseph Mekelburg. Then the May 22, 1940 issue mentioned that “Sturbridge Drive-In opened for its second season under Levenson Brothers.”
The 1966 aerial shows the screen is gone, so it appears to have closed well before 1966.
I don’t think the opening date for this address is correct the Topos on historicaerials.com don’t show a drive-in theater at this location before 1967. Before that there was a racetrack going all the way back to the 1945 topo and on the 1938 aerial. Could this have been the opening date for the Ride-In Drive-In which also has a page here on CT. The Ride-In Drive-In was listed as (Closed) in the 1948-1949 edition of Theatre Catalog. Or perhaps the Ride-In Drive-In was located at the Racetrack and before it was Ride-In it was listed as Drive-In.
It was once operated by Peter J. Marrone, who joined Affiliated Theatres by 1952. A few years later, it was operated by the Daytz Theatre Enterprises Corporation.
The Sturbridge Drive-In closed in 1968, and was demolished a few years later to make way for another racetrack but the screen was still standing. The racetrack was demolished several years later.
The Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center now occupies the former theater site.