Park Drive-In

The November 18, 1950 issue of Boxoffice reported that the Park Drive-In had opened in Covington. It held 400 cars and was owned by Philip Salles.

The 1952 Theatre Catalog included the Park, 400 cars, owner Warren J. Salles.

Despite those earlier notes, the St. Tammany Farmer, Covington’s local newspaper, ran a front page story in 1952 noting that “Next Wednesday night, July 2, will mark the long-awaited opening of the new Park Drive-In on Mandeville Highway.” It attributed the delay to an inability to obtain coax cable.

The Park’s opening program included Jon Hall in “Brave Warrior” and Gary Cooper in “It’s a Big Country”.

The Park Drive-In advertised in the Farmer until at least April 1968, signing that “watch for the reopening date” advertisement with Philip F. Salles and Warren J. Salles, Jr.

In 1969, the Jet Drive-In, on the Mandeville Highway, advertised in the Farmer. That lasted until at least 1971.

Aerial photos in 1959 and 1965 showed a drive-in on US 190 (the road to Mandeville) about four miles south of Covington. A 1972 photo showed the screen still up but most of the viewing field consumed by construction of a cloverleaf interchange with the future I-12. A small portion of the site remains, used for storage.

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