Lewiston Drive-In

Edited from my April 28, 2022 comment: The Lewiston Drive-In Opened Its Gates On July 1, 1949 With “Coroner Creek” And Abboott And Costello’s “Pardon My Strong” Along With Two Unnamed Cartoons (And A Special Fireworks Show Only On Grand Opening).

It Was First Operated By John F. Murray Of Boston, Who Also Operated Waterville’s Opera House, And Had His First Theater Connection In Fall River, MA. The Theater Actually Opened Privately To 500 People The Day Prior To Opening. The Original Planned Capacity (Before Reaching Its 1000-Capacity Goal) Was 600 And The Original Screen Was Measured 50x50 Before CinemaScope. A Deal Went Through On May 26, 1949 In The Offices Of A.A. Lamarre Agency of Park Street whereby a local real estate dealers had transferred to Boston’s Lockwood & Gordon Enterprises where 10 acres of the historic Dulac Farm (site of some of the first locally developed agricultural land being acquired by Adelard Dulac in 1937. Adelard was also a plumber and heater at the time with his own business in town of 12 Lowell Street) on Sabattus Road being the site with the purchase price of $5,000.

New information: The Lewiston Drive-In closed for the final time on Labor Day 1985 with “Gremlins” and “Oh God You Devil”.

Opened July 1, 1949 with fireworks and the films “Coroner Creek” and Abbott and Costello’s “Pardon My Sarong.”

Closed in 1985. Below link from 07/08/85 has article on trailer park development of the property.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19850708&id=mn0gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CmgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1403,1368199