North Star Drive-In

Full history credit Dayton History Books Online.

North Star Drive-In Theatre

The North Star was “the most elaborate, ultra modern drive-in theatre you have ever laid eyes on” according to the theater’s grand opening ad. Architect Robert Stevens designed the 1,050 car capacity drive-in to offer the very best that was available at the time of its opening on April 18, 1956. The North Star’s projection room was designed with an all glass front so that patrons of the theater could view the projectors and RCA sound equipment. High powered Dyn Arc Projection lamps enabled the theater to show CinemaScope, Superscope and Vistavision films on its 100 foot wide screen. Fifty foot wide entrance and exit lanes allowed plenty of room between cars, while the four lane, 500 foot long entrance ramp insured that there would be no traffic problems. Each speaker post was lit so that you could easily find a parking space. The refreshment building included a 70 foot ‘U’ shaped, all stainless steel cafeteria. A separate hot bar served chicken, pizza, hamburgers and other taste thrills. Finding your way back to the car was made easier by the ‘Simulated Moonlite’ lampposts that illuminated the parking lot. John Parker, one of the owners and manager of the North Star, was famous for his showmanship and imagination when it came to drawing patrons to the drive-in. In 1976 two dozen people lined up at the theater to be ‘buried alive’ and remain in a casket six feet underground, without food or water, over the Halloween weekend. “I have been utterly amazed how many have applied,” Parker said at the time. Dayton Daily News columnist Dale Huffman took the opportunity to interview some of the applicants. April Wyatt, then 18 years old, wrote in big letters on her application ‘Very much interested’. “It’s just something different,” she explained. “It sounds neat. I can tell everyone that I meet the rest of my life, ‘Hey, back in 1976 I was buried alive’.” Vondol Moore claimed to have previous experience, having been buried alive once before in Texas in 1965. “I would hate a life that is ho-hum. A person must do something a little bit exciting, different and dangerous once in awhile. I mean, if you never take any chances you have a dull existence.” William (The Amazing) Shaner was hired to manage the promotion. Shaner, who, with his wife Sandy, owns the Abracadabra Costumes and Jewelry Boutique on East Fifth Street in Dayton, remembers how important it was to choose the right person for the stunt. “The person I selected had to be in good health all the way around, both physically and mentally fit. I also had to make sure they weren’t claustrophobic.” Fifteen year old Dave Schock, from Lewisburg, Ohio was picked for the stunt. Shaner placed the young man in a trance before putting him in the coffin, which was then lowered into a six foot hole. “The worst part is the sound of hearing the dirt hitting the coffin. That was the main reason for the hypnosis,” says Shaner. An eight inch tube ran from the coffin to above the ground. “People coming through the line, they cold look down there and get spooked out. They cold laugh and joke with the person who was buried.” Two days in the ground was nothing compared to a stunt Shaner pulled at a county fair. “I once buried my oldest son, Steve, for thirteen days at the Hillsboro County Fair. He had a CB in his coffin and truckers came from all around to see the crazy guy.” North Star’s final season was in 1985. A shopping center, with a Kroger’s Sav-On as the key store, is now located on the site.