Sky-Vue Drive-In
3015 S. Dallas Avenue,
Lamesa,
TX
79331
3015 S. Dallas Avenue,
Lamesa,
TX
79331
3 people favorited this theater
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On “The Speaker Post” on Facebook, I post a min video of them disassembling the screen.. July 30th 2024 I also took several photos of the area.. Playground equip still there but in sad shape.. Swings appears to be in decent condition tho.. They were dug up and moved away from the screen.. Randy A Carlisle (Facebook) [DJ-Real Oldies & Retro Oldies] RAC Photography
A story regarding the future of the drive in. https://www.kcbd.com/2024/07/29/lamesa-sky-vue-drive-in-taking-an-intermission-looking-new-location/
At the time of the fire, they were screening the peanuts movie
I went to Sky-Vue back around 1999.. Stopped for a movie, and met Mr Kirkland. Super nice guy.. Gave me a T-Shirt that I still have today. Never worn. Nice keep-sake now.. SO saddening about this historical drive in theatre. He started there helping out the snack bar, etc, and eventually bought the drive in.. Anyone know if Mr Kirkland is still around.? Thanx! Randy A Carlisle (FB) RAC Photography
Looks like a time capsule and pretty intact. There wasn’t a No Trespassing sign so I ventured in a bit to get pics. All the kiddie park items are still there, just long grass and lots of neglect.
NPR’s Fresh Air had a 1994 interview with western swing vocalist Don Walser, repeated on Sept. 22, 2006, where he talked about performing at the Sky-Vue on the same night as Buddy Holly.
Walser said, “There was a drive-in theater there in Lamesa, Texas, Skeet Noret had this old drive-in called the Sky-Vue – and, in fact, it’s still operating. It’s one of the last ones that hadn’t been closed down. And he had a big projection room there that he – and he had a little stage on top of it, and he’d bring in guys like Hall Nicks and Buddy Holly, and they would have them come down and play at the Sky-Vue between the movies, you know, and I would share bills with one of them.”
@dansdriveintheater the lot next door has the drive in shape also. If it was a drive-in theater it may have been a twin.
typed alco stores in la mesa tx into the google maps bar which lead to a dollar general which was next to an auto zone which has vacant land behind the auto zone which appears to have the faint remnants of ramps and the general drive-in shape. hover i can’t find any ecidence that was ever a drive-in here. this is that address.
2001 Lubbock Hwy, Lamesa, TX 79331
FDY and IMPA both list a Fiesta Drive-In, Lamesa, TX, from 1957 to 1970. Sky Vu Drive-In and Yucca Drive-In are also listed, so there appears to have been three drive-ins operating in Lamesa.
Just read in the newspaper, the Kirklands don’t own the land the theater was built on, just the structures themselfs. The land owner does not want to renew the lease for the land so it looks like death for this theater. Probably build another Walmart there.
The Alco was North of town.
Malcolmdbc39 from the photos on the photo page, it look’s as though there is more damage than just to the snack bar
I checked the “Mike Rivest Ultimate List of Movie Theaters” site, and two other drive-in theaters were listed for Lamesa, Texas besides the Sky-Vue. The Yucca Drive-In on the Big Springs Highway had the year range ?1950-?1975 listed. The Fiesta Drive-In didn’t have an address listed, but the year range ?1961-?1975 was included. I searched old Topo Maps and found the Yucca Drive-In but not the Fiesta. Where is the Alco store located?
I have been told by a Lamesa native, that there was another drive in theater north of town. It was torn down when they built the Alco store. Anyone know about this?
First of all, the snack bar was all that burned. While this was tragic, the screen, the projection booth, the digital projectors, all were untouched by the fire. Now rather the Kirklands rebuild it, time will tell. I think Sam wants to, but he is getting close to retirement age and has a big decision to make. I personally hope he reopens. I grew up going to the Skyview and so did my kids. It was a really fun place with great food.
Below link has photos and a post fire interview with the owners.
http://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/klbk-news/owners-of-lamesa-drive-in-recount-old-memories-after-fire-destorys-it
This theatre reportedly was destroyed by fire on Friday, 11/27/2015. Whether it was just the concession stand that burned or also the screen, ticket booth, marquee, etc., the story linked below is not clear about.
http://bit.ly/lamesaskyvue
Address: 3015 S. Dallas Ave., Lamesa, TX 79331, this maps directly to the drive-in.
Here is another view of the screen and marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/l5sqly
Yeah, I think the movie shows on the top 2/3 and the bottom third must be painted black. I love that “in color” neon on the marquee.
That can’t be the screen it’s too low
Looks like a tiny screen.
Here’s a little Sky-Vue anecdote for all.
I asked my mother about her experience singing for the crowd at the Sky-Vue, and this is an excerpt from my mother’s reply:
“I talked to Patsie [my aunt] yesterday and she remembered a few things about our "debut” at the Sky-Vue. She said we sang there in June of 1949.Â
I remember I wore a pique green and white dress and she remembers she wore a red dress with white stitching that she had made. She said her date had on a white fuzzy shirt that shed on her red dress. Guess that means she was sitting close to him on the drive to Lamesa. The only song we can remember singing was “Blue Skirt Waltz." We stood on the roof of the snack bar or the ramp house as they called it.Â
She thinks Skeet Noret knew about us from a Lion’s Club Convention, when we represented the Seagraves Lions Club. They gave us a rhinestone necklace and earrings with “Lions Club Sweethearts” on it.   I still have them. Funny they could only muster up one pair. Patsie thinks Skeet must have been there and that’s why he asked us to sing. I wondered how he got in touch with us, since we had no telephone. Who knows?
She and I both think we might have sung “Truck Driver’s Blues”, but we can’t be sure. Gosh, that was so long ago. She said the new drive in being built in Lubbock is out on the Clovis highway."
My mother is Marjore Chronister, and my aunt is Patsie Ross Milosevich. At the time they sang, they were Patsie and Marjore Scales. They grew up on a farm in Wellman, and moved to Lubbock for college. My uncles went to LHS and Tech as well, although no record exists of them singing at the Sky-Vue. Knowing their personalities, though, I’m sure each of them spent some time at the drive in, in either the front or back seat…
I spent the night in Lamesa, and my friend and I had to pick between the drive in and high school football. Should have watched the movie, Lamesa got stomped. I can’t believe this is the only drive-in in the area. It’s perfect drive-in terrain (so flat you can see the next county seat’s water tower as you leave town), and there’s very little rain.