Nine miles northwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, sits America’s oldest drive-in movie theater, first opened in 1934.
While it was originally the second drive-in theater to open in America, Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre is now the only one left from the early 1930s. The theater was opened by Wilson Shankweiler, who originally called it Shankweiler’s Park-In Theatre.
Currently, there are around 300 drive-in movie theaters operating in the U.S., with 29 located in Pennslyvania. Since its opening, the theater has changed ownership multiple times and as the theater nears its 90th birthday, two new owners have taken control of the operation.
Lauren McChesney and Matthew McClanahan bought the theater in November 2022 after it was put on the market by previous owners Paul and Susan Geissinger, who had owned the Shankweiler’s since 1984.
McChesney said the theater, which was on the market for multiple years, was on the path to becoming a gas station. Hearing the news and knowing about the history of Shankweiler’s, he said the couple decided it was the perfect time to buy the business.
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In continuous operation since 1934
“It’s been in continuous operation since [1934], so there was never a point where it closed and was abandoned or anything like that. It’s been running. It’s been up kept. It’s been popular and well-attended ever since,” McChesney said.
Both McChesney and McClanahan were no strangers to the movie theater industry when they decided to purchase and take over the historic theater. The couple runs a pop-up movie company, The Moving Picture Cinema, which specializes in creating outdoor movie experiences.
McClanahan said they formed the company in 2019, which took off during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was necessary for people to be outside and social distancing.
“We stepped in and helped indoor theaters stay open by doing outdoor programming for indoor theaters that were closed throughout the lockdowns, and then that sort of really grew our company,” McClanahan said.
Helping other theaters stay open made the couple want to have a permanent space to keep movies alive. For McClanahan, who grew up in the Lehigh County area and still resides there with McChesney today, purchasing Shankweiler’s was a full circle moment.
“I grew up coming to Shankweiler’s in the ’90s. So I grew up going to this drive-in, so we have a connection to it already and are in close proximity to it,” McClanahan said. “It just made sense for us to go for it.”
Since the couple bought the theater in November 2022, they have initiated new experiences at the drive-in while keeping its historical feel. Recently, the theater remained open during the winter months, where it screened holiday movies and brought in visitors from across the U.S. as one of the only drive-ins still operating.
Moving forward, McClanahan said the couple wants to continue to help the movie theater industry grow while exploring how to keep drive-in theaters classic, yet modern enough for the 21st century. For McChesney, she said she wants the drive-in movie theater industry to still be accessible for people.
“We know that there is a deep love of drive-ins across the country of people who grew up with it or people who went when they were kids,” McChesney said. “We want to be able to provide that experience for people and that outlet for people and kind of revive that love for it.”
As the couple gears up to celebrate their first
National Drive-In Movie Day, on June 6, commemorates the opening of America’s first drive-in theater. As Shankweiler’s new owners gear up to celebrate their first June 6 at the helm, one of their favorite parts of the job is being able to continue the legacy that Shankweiler’s has created.
“We’re so honored to be part of that. I love it so much. I love that we get to be part of this,” McChesney said.
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