Lake Park Outdoor Theatre
500 N. Main Street,
Fond du Lac,
WI
54935
500 N. Main Street,
Fond du Lac,
WI
54935
2 people
favorited this theater
The Lake Park Outdoor Theatre opened in 1950, with the Randolph Scott film, “The Nevadan”. The drive-in was popular not only for its huge screen, but also for its miniature children’s train ride. It also had a playground. The theater was closed in 1983 and later demolished. A strip mall was later built on the site.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
My orthopedic surgeon’s office is around the spot where the ticket booth once was. I worked there for two summers in the 1960s, selling tix, popping corn, roasting weenies, making change, and even chopping weeds along the walls. I saw pieces and corners of dozens of movies. One co-worker is now a systems analyst in San Francisco, another is a retired school district administrator in Fond du Lac, and I teach fifth graders in nearby Waupun. The owners continue in the movie business, running the successful Fond du Lac Theater on the edge of town. Working at “The Outdoor” was the worst-paid and most fun job I’ll ever have.
The Lake Park was operated by the Wisconsin Amusement Corp. in the early sixties. The partners were A.P. and N.P. Frank. Wisconsin Amusement also operated the Retlaw and Fond du Lac theaters, as well as the Wisconsin, Palace, Paradise, Layton and Strand in Milwaukee. The chain operated theaters in numerous other Wisconsin cities as well. The information is from the 1963 motion picture almanac.
Any comments or questions regarding any drive-in theater in Wisconsin, please check out my website at
www.drive-inthruwisconsin.com There you will find photos, original newspaper ads and a whole lot more. Or contact me at I will give you complete and accurate information about Wisconsin drive-in theaters, just ask. Thanks, Charles Bruss
Here’s a 1954 article on their Kiddyland: http://www.boxoffice.com/the_vault/issue_page?issue_id=1954-2-6&page_no=134#page_start
To amplify BobFermanek’s note, that issue of Boxoffice had a two-page article about the Lake Park’s extensive playground area. It also had several photos, including a fairly impressive merry-go-round near the base of the screen tower.