White River Drive-In
1100 N. Main Street,
White River Junction,
VT
05001
1100 N. Main Street,
White River Junction,
VT
05001
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The White River Drive-In actually closed on September 2, 1986 with “Legal Eagles” and “Back To The Future”. The drive-in never reopened for the 1987 season due to VHS popularity. It was last owned by Peter Flanagan and managed by Andre Rocheleau.
People have listed 1000 North Main St. as the location of the theater. That is where the marquee was located. The entrance to the drive-in was a couple hundred feet (at least) down Sykes Avenue on the right hand side. There was a restaurant and a side street on the right between North Main Street and the Drive-in entrance.
The marquee is no longer at the corner of Sykes Mountain Avenue and North Main Street. The intersection was transformed and expanded to include a roundabout. The result was that the sign was removed. Where it is now I do not know.
The Valley News ran another story this week about a windstorm on May 24, 1962 that yanked the screen off its frame. The story includes a photo of the marquee that day, advertising the movie “All Fall Down”.
The article also said that the White River closed in spring 1987, citing VCRs as the final blow, and that the Midway Drive-In in Ascutney closed about the same time. Here’s a link to the Internet Archive version, which doesn’t include that nice marquee photo.
The Valley News of Lebanon NH ran a story yesterday that confirmed that the sign is part of the original White River marquee, that it’s still used to announce community events, and that it is about to be moved. The Vermont Department of Transportation will change the intersection to a roundabout. Hartford Town Manager Brannon Godfrey said the town is looking for another good location for it because “we know there is an interest in preserving that for its nostalgia and history with the town.”
The billboard which sits at the corner of Sykes Mountain Avenue and North Main Street which is next to the McDonald’s may have been part of the original marquee or sits very close the to same spot. Given its unusual support structure, it’s possible, although not confirmed.
A more accurate address for this theater is 1100 N Main St, White River Junction, VT 05001. This points to the corner of N Main and Sykes Mountain. The billboard next to McDonald’s is where the entrance road stood. The drive itself is the bank east of this and the southeast of the bank. Believe it or not, the screen foundation is still there.
Please update.
Opened with “Canyon passage” and “Let’s make it legal”.
There is a history of movie theaters in White River Junction in the May 1994 issue of the Hartford (VT) Historical Society, written by member James Kenison. (The March 1995 issue has more info.) The White River Drive-In was built by Allard Graves who had opened the Lyric Theatre downtown in 1924. The Drive-In was located at the intersection of Route 5 and Sykes Avenue. Allard Graves was with Interstate Theatres. In 1965, both the Drive-In and the Lyric were sold to a local company. The White River Drive-In was closed in 1986, according to this article.