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The iconic 1955 Chevrolet Nomad sits beside the Starlight Drive-In theater sign along U.S. 127.
MARIA STEIN - In between community festivals and county fairs, locals might want to set aside an evening for another Midwestern summer tradition: Drive in, park and see a double feature at the newly renovated Starlight Drive-In on U.S. 127 south of Celina.
The drive-in, first opened in 1949, offers all of the American nostalgia prospective moviegoers would expect, including a full concession stand on site, car radio audio, a drive-up ticket booth and, of course, the cashmere blue 1955 Chevrolet Nomad that sits beside its sign and serves as a sort of mascot.
"The Nomad is pretty iconic. A lot of people recognize it. They stop and look at it - we even had someone try to buy it," said Jeff Myers, son of owners Timothy and Elaine Myers.
The Myers family of St. Henry and Coldwater has operated the business for over 34 years. Timothy mans the ticket booth, his wife Elaine and their grandsons work the concession counter, and their son Jeff oversees the digital projector.
"It's all family," Jeff confirmed. "I think when I was 12, I started working out here. They'd always tell us to do the candy."
The business was run by Timothy's mom Joan and brother Dan for decades. Following Dan's death from kidney cancer in 2023, Timothy and Elaine took over operations.
"My husband's mom and brother owned it probably for 35 plus years and we've worked here since then," Elaine said. "His mom managed it before that, so I worked out here. My brother-in-law, he had kidney cancer and we closed for maybe a few months, then opened in late August (of 2023) some time for just a few weeks."
However the theater had been closed since then as it underwent major renovations, Elaine said.
The Starlight Drive-In theater is currently showing "The Bad Guys 2" and "How to Train Your Dragon."
Renovations included a new sign and ticket booth. The inside of the concessions and the restrooms were also updated, the theater's screen was painted, its projector was serviced and a new fence in front of the concession was installed.
"It took us a little bit to get the financing together," Elaine said of the theater's facelift. "We were doing (the work) gradually as funds became available."
The theater reopened in mid-May. It sources films through a film distributor.
"He sets up all the films," Elaine said. "We have to have contracts with all the film developers like Disney, Universal and Paramount. … Sometimes they need an advance on certain films, like new films, so we have to submit that before we even get them."
Commonly, the theater will run a brand new film for about two weeks and an older film for just one week, Jeff said.
"What we always did in the past is we'd play it brand new (as the first showing) the first week and then we'd move it to the second film, then we'd get another brand new film," he said. "But, generally, a film has to be played two weeks if it's brand new, and if it's an older film, you only have to play it for one week."
Starlight upgraded from a film projector to a digital projector about eight to nine years ago, he continued.
"My uncle (Dan) always ran the projector, but that was back when it was actual film and it took more maintenance," Jeff said. "Now you can just hit play and leave. Before when it was film, you could have film breaks and you'd have to repair it quickly. But now it's pretty basic."
Sound for the movies can be accessed through car radios or rented radios, available for $5 with a $20 deposit and ID, at channel 92.5.
The theater is located at 1889 U.S. Route 127 - right beside a home that Jeff said is not affiliated with the business though it shares a driveway with it.
"Back in the day, the old owners used to sit in the back part of their property and just watch (the movies) for free. And honestly, we wouldn't care (if they still did)," Jeff said.
The Myers family prides itself on running the theater as an affordable option for families looking for entertainment. This week they implemented new car load pricing at just $25, Jeff said. If the car's not full, they charge $10 each for attendees aged 13 and up, $5 for those aged 4-12 and free for kids 3 years old and under.
"Our most recent (Facebook) post got a lot feedback," Jeff said. "Some other theaters look to profit, but we know that large families struggle to spend that much money."
Along with group pricing, the family-based drive-in allows its customers to bring in outside food and drinks.
Greg Myers makes popcorn before a showing at the Starlight Drive-In theater on Wednesday evening.
But there is still plenty for sale in their concession stand. Starlight's menu consists of the classics: popcorn, soda, boxed candy and candy bars; along with extras such as cotton candy, nachos, cookies and pickles; plus hot foods like hamburgers and cheeseburgers, hot dogs, smoked sausages, chicken sandwiches and corn dogs.
The theater opens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This weekend, Starlight is showing the PG film "The Bad Guys 2" first, then the PG film "How to Train Your Dragon" second. The show starts at dusk.
More information can be found on the Starlight Drive-In Rt.127 119 Facebook page.
