'It was a rite of passage': Sask. group comes together to save a nostalgic drive-in theatre
One of Saskatchewan’s last remaining drive-in movie theatres will be opening this season after months of uncertainty. The threat of losing the nostalgic gem at Manitou Beach sparked a movement in the community to save it.
Burt Crawford holds an original concession sign, which displays the price of a hamburger at 30 cents, a hot dog for 20 cents and coffee or hot chocolate for 10 cents.
The sign is a throwback to the early 1950s when his dad ran the drive-in at Manitou Beach. His dad also owned the movie theatre on Main Street in Watrous at the time.
“He didn’t want to open a drive in, but he said I sure don’t want anyone else to,” Crawford told CTV News.
Crawford, now almost 89-years-old, put long hours into the family business in his youth, while going to university studying to be a geological engineer. He remembers a project he was responsible for where he had to install all the wires linking up the speaker boxes. Something that doesn’t exist any longer as audio is delivered through an AM/FM transmitter to each vehicle.
“I dug in all the underground lines to go to the speaker posts with a pick,” he remembers.
He moved back from Alberta with his wife when his dad suggested he was selling the drive-in in the late 1950s. He had a good job but wanted to try the family business.
He admits he made a deal with one of his bosses that if the drive-in didn’t work out, he could return to his job. But, he says, he never looked back. It was 1960, and moving back to a small town was going against the norm.
“Kids could not wait to get out of these towns and get to the big city,” he said.
With strong ties to the drive-in theatre he helped build, he is now happy to help a local group starting the theatre up again this year. It comes after a worrisome end to the 2022 season when a projector explosion put the whole operation in jeopardy.
“What’s going to happen? There were lots of questions around the community. It’s like any business or asset that we have here; nobody wants to see us losing any of those assets,” drive-in project organizer, Lane Manson told CTV News.
Manson’s interest in helping the icon stay afloat is personal, as he remembers his teen years at the theatre with friends fondly.
“When you’d get old enough to be on your own, it was a rite of passage. They’d have all nighters. You’d get lost from 9:00 or whenever your parents picked you up,” he says.
With those memories in mind, he didn’t want this treasure to close like so many others in the province, so he searched for help. His calls were answered by the community.
“We’ve got a partner to operate the concession, we can get movies and a projector, and I’m just sort of overseeing that,” he says.
June 9 is the proposed start date if everything goes well.
All those involved in the project realize that it’s the combination of attractions in the resort that make it thrive.
“The whole is worth more than sum of the parts. If we start to let these institutions fail, there’s just less for people to do and we become less relevant,” Manson said.
Crawford plans to lend his vast knowledge of the business and this particular drive-in to the project and be an advisor, feeling strongly that the show must go on.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.