Drive-in today retains elements of yesterdays

WARREN — Brightly colored balloons and streamers decorate the concession area at the Elm Road Triple Drive-In.

For a moment, the orange-and-white-striped counters and velvet ropes that guide customers through the food line act as a time machine and transport patrons to an era when drive-ins thrived.

On weekend nights at Elm Road, it can seem like those days have never gone away. About 1,200 to 1,500 moviegoers visit every Friday and Saturday night.

Most drive-ins locally and nationwide have not had such success. At the height of their popularity in 1958, more than 4,000 operated nationwide. Today, fewer than 400 exist, according to the United Drive-In Theater Owners Association in Middle River, Md.

Theater owner Robert Hreno, 73, says Elm Road’s patronage has not changed despite the hardships the industry has faced for decades.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com