Mini 5 Drive-In
30166 Olive Drive,
Lebanon,
MO
65536
30166 Olive Drive,
Lebanon,
MO
65536
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The Mini 5 Drive-In was located on what was then Highway 5, (which is now called Orchard Drive), near the Dove community north of Lebanon. It was opened in early-June 1972. The screen was still standing as late as 2001, though it has since been taken down. It had a wide field, and was only about 4 or 5 rows deep. I believe the field was used as a flea market after the drive-in closed. I believe it is now a private residence, though it is still recognizable as a drive-in when you drive by if you know where to look.
Contributed by
Bob Brown
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
A closer address is 30166 Olive Dr, Lebanon, MO. This puts you right at the entrance to the drive-in itself. The drive-in was not present in a 1959 aerial photo, so it was constructed some time after that.
Today, there is little left of the drive-in. You can barely make out the ramps. However, the concession stand/projector booth may still be standing.
https://tinyurl.com/y832mpon
I have wondered if this could possibly have been built as an autoscope drive-in to show adult movies due to the odd shape of the field and the name (Mini 5) being similar to the Mini Drive In in Joplin MO (just down I-44 from Lebanon) which was an autoscope which showed adult movies. The screen in the photo was very basic, and looked almost home made, and might have been added later. Lebanon is also only about 30 miles from Buffalo MO, home of the longest lived autoscope drive-in, so the concept was familiar in the area. I have not been able to uncover any evidence about this however.
I just uploaded an aerial photo from 1995. It’s a little grainy, but you can still see the screen (not an autoscope), projector hut and ramps. As Kenmore noted, the ramps are still faintly visible today.
Boxoffice, July 24, 1972: “Charles Burton, owner of the new Mini-5 Drive-In located north of Lebanon on Route 5, opened the 80-car airer in early June. The Mini-5, which utilizes a wireless sound system whereby the audio is picked up on patrons' car radios or by a portable radio, will be open nightly through August.”