Starlite Drive-In
20 E. Park Avenue,
Ringtown,
PA
17967
20 E. Park Avenue,
Ringtown,
PA
17967
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A 1958 aerial shows the drive-in intact and operational, but by 1969 the screen had been removed. By 1983, the concession stand/projection booth was gone as well with only the foundation remaining.
Today, if I squint hard I can just see the remnants of the ramps with trees that surround where the concession stand/projection booth once stood. A few RVs and trailers are on the property, but no indication that someone is living there.
The truly distinctive feature of the drive-in is the large oval track that surrounds it. The 1958 aerial shows the track quite nicely, but it’s also not quite complete. there is a section on the north corner that is not connected. So, this doesn’t appear to be a go-kart track.
Why the oval track was put into place is beyond me. Plus, it was fully connected in the 1969 aerial long after the drive-in shut down. Today, East Spruce Street replaces the north and west sides of the track with the remaining areas just barely visible.
The Brandonville opened on September 3, 1949 with “The Razor’s Edge” with no extra short subjects, became the Starlite Drive-In on April 25, 1953 with “The Big Sky” with a few extra short subjects, and closed at the end of the 1959 season.
Topo maps make the drive-in appear considerably larger than its 225 car capacity. But a 1992 aerial shows the remains of the ramps which occupy a smaller section of the property more in line with its stated capacity.
Today, it is a big, empty field with no trace of the drive-in remaining.