Keeping nostalgia alive in Northeast Wisconsin

Cheryl Hentz

Contributor

June 17, 2024

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN – Family outings, date nights, fun with friends – you’d be hard-pressed to find someone over the age of 40 who hasn’t, at one point or another, visited a drive-in movie theater.

Though – according to DriveInTheater.com – some drive-ins in the United States date as far back as the 1910s, the first patented drive-in opened June 6, 1933, in New Jersey.

By 1951, the number of drive-in movie theaters in the U.S. had increased to a whopping 4,151.

By the early-to-mid 60s, drive-ins had reached their heyday with some 5,000 theaters coast-to-coast.

Wisconsin was a little late in joining the craze, boasting a mere 79 drive-ins across the state during this period.

Decline and resurgence

Between the 1970s and 1990s, the popularity of drive-in theaters started to decline – people were buying smaller cars; there were several improvements to home entertainment, including color TV, cable, VCRs and video rentals, allowing people to watch movies in their homes; and owners of the land where drive-ins were located – usually 15 acres or more – were selling their land to developers of condominiums, multi-family apartment complexes and shopping malls.

Through the years, a handful of drive-ins throughout the Badger State have managed to stay afloat – and a few new ones were built in the last 20 years or so.   

Today, there are fewer than a dozen that remain in Wisconsin, four of which are in Northeast Wisconsin – helping people relive those cherished memories of years gone by while creating new ones for a whole new generation of people. 

Chilton Twilight Drive-In Theater

The Chilton Twilight Drive-In Theater is located at 1255 E. Chestnut St. in Chilton – occupying the former Walmart space.

Vicki Radue and her husband, Michael, said they were contacted by the owners of the property asking if they’d consider doing an outdoor theater at that location.

Already owning the one-screen indoor theater in Chilton (since 2006), another one in De Pere (which they’ve owned since 2000) and one in Manitowoc (which they sold about 18 months ago) – the Radues said it seemed like a good idea.

“We were into the smaller, more vintage theater experience, so when the owners of the property approached us, we thought we’d like to give an outdoor theater a try,” Vicki said. “We felt there was a bit more of a comeback of the outdoor movie experience, and there seemed to be a little more interest in them.”

Vicki said another business occupies the majority of the former Walmart building, but the theater utilizes the area that used to be the big box store’s entrance and customer service area.

“That’s where we have some games, the concession area, the kitchen and bathrooms,” she said. “So, it is a little different because the building was repurposed for our needs.”

So far, Vicki said the outdoor movie experience has been going well for them, including during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has been popular,” she said. “During the pandemic year when we were allowed to reopen in mid-to-late May… there was lots of interest. People were happy to get out after things had been shut down since March.”

Vickie said during the first year of the pandemic, the drive-in remained open until December and was busy.

“We played some of the classic Christmas movies,” she said. “I think we were busy because people were still nervous about going to indoor cinemas. Here they could at least see a movie without being amongst people.”

Vicki said the theater does what it can to keep concessions reasonably priced.

“We strive to provide family entertainment at an affordable price,” she said. “Everything is more expensive now, so we try to offer something that anyone’s budget can handle.” 

Owner(s): Michael and Vicki Radue

Address: 1255 E Chestnut St., Chilton

Opened: 2011

Showings: First-run and classic movies

Prices: $6 per adult, $4 per child on double-feature nights (Fridays and Saturdays). Single feature nights (Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) are $10 per carload

Audio accessed by: Radio

Capacity: 125 cars

Amenities: Concessions, miniature golf, ping-pong, other games 

Other: Sells family fun passes during the off-season, which offers carload admission with pizza and a large popcorn/soda combo

Opened: Gates open 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays only starting in late April/early May; Wednesday-Sunday after Memorial Day until Labor Day; after Labor Day back to Fridays and Saturdays only

Pets: No pets allowed on-premises

Website: getreelcinemas.com/chilton-drive-in

Field of Scenes Outdoor Theater

Built from the ground up by Tim Vandewettering in 2003, Field of Scenes Outdoor Theater is now in its second generation of ownership.

When Tim died in 2022, the business was taken over later that year by his son, daughter and son-in-law, and another couple who are friends of the Vandewetterings. 

“We own an auto body shop down the road and our parents owned all that land,” Taylor Vandewettering said. “But dad was looking for something where he wouldn’t have to wait to get paid, and he always liked the drive-in when he was a kid, so one day, he decided to build one on a portion of the land they owned.”

As with any business, Taylor said, there are good years and not-so-good years – but despite the ups and downs, Field of Scenes has remained quite successful during its 21-year existence.

“We rely a lot on the movie companies,” he said. “If they’re not making movies, that affects us, as does Mother Nature – if it rains a lot during the season. Those things can cause us to have down years. But all in all, it’s been successful and well-attended.”

As with some other drive-ins, Taylor said COVID helped them a lot.

“A drive-in was one place where people could still go,” he said. “They could come, sit in their car and be with their families instead of sitting in the house looking at each other.”

Taylor said since then, business hasn’t necessarily decreased, but it has leveled off to where it was pre-COVID.

The business itself, Taylor said, hasn’t changed much over the years.

Their father, he said, had a winning formula, so they didn’t want to tinker too much with its success.

With that said, the owners have made improvements to the grounds, such as the addition of gas fireplaces and are trying to keep up with the times.

Because they are family-friendly, Taylor said they don’t show many R-rated pictures. 

“Our first movie is always a G- or a PG-rated film, and the second one is normally a PG-13,” he said. “We like to keep things family-oriented.”

Taylor said it’s heartwarming for them to see grandparents bringing their grandkids to the drive-in.

“You can see the smiles on their faces as it brings back memories for them of when they were kids going to the drive-in,” he said. “It’s cool to hear them tell the stories of their experiences.”

Taylor said he hopes they can keep the business going so someday he can pass it on to his kids.

Owner(s): Taylor Vandewettering, Brittni and Jake Le Noble and Shane and Karissa Otto

Address: N3712 Highway 55, Freedom 

Opened: 2003

Showing: Double feature, first-run movies (occasionally classic movies)

Prices: $8 per adult; $4 for children aged 11 and under. Accept cash or debit/credit cards. ATM available on-site

Audio accessed by: Radio

Capacity: 300 cars

Amenities: Concessions; a playground with two basketball courts and volleyball net; picnic tables/umbrellas near the front; and four gas fireplaces by the patio

Times open: Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gates open at 7 p.m. Normally open Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend. If weather permits, they may open a little earlier or extend their season. Wednesdays and Sundays may soon be added to the schedule

Pets: Leashed, well-behaved dogs allowed on premises

Website: fieldofscenes.biz 

Skyway Drive-In

Originally owned by brothers Orville and Elton Voeks, the Skyway Drive-In in Fish Creek first opened July 26, 1950 – making it the longest continuously running drive-in in Wisconsin.

At some point, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Voeks owned it by themselves.

In 1981, Darrell and Eileen Jacobson bought it – running it until 1999, when their sons, Dale and Jeff, took over. 

Over the years, Dale said the theater’s building and equipment have been updated – including the installation of a digital projector in 2013.

In addition, he said, the bathrooms were moved and expanded and the parking has been increased slightly.

“Other than that, we’ve kept things pretty much the same over the years,” he said.

Dale said many of the elements of the drive-in have been preserved, so they could honor what their parents created.

One such element, he said, is the old-fashioned, traditional speakers that patrons hook on their vehicle windows to hear the audio – though they can present challenges.

“It’s tough to maintain or replace them if something goes wrong,” he said. “But some people like the speakers and enjoy that old-time experience. We’ve tried to keep the nostalgia (of drive-ins) alive so it still feels like going to the drive-in used to.” 

Attendance has been fairly consistent, Dale said – though COVID threw a wrench in things a bit because there weren’t many new movies being released then. 

“But, that only lasted for that first summer in 2020,” he said. “We showed classic movies during that time. So, we did okay and were able to stay open full-time. Things have slowly gotten back to normal since then.”

Owner(s): Jeff and Dale Jacobson

Address: 3475 WI-42, Fish Creek

Opened: 1950

Showings: First-run movies, periodically classics. Also classic cartoon advertisements shown at drive-ins back in the day

Prices: $10 for ages 12 and older; $6 for ages 5 to 11 years; Free for ages 4 and under

Audio accessed by: Speakers in the first four rows, radio for the remaining rows

Capacity: 250 cars

Amenities: Concessions; playground with a slide, swings, teeter-totters; bench seating upfront

Times Open: Gates open at 7 p.m. nightly through Labor Day; only Fridays and Saturdays after Labor Day until mid-October

Pets: Leashed pets are allowed

Website: doorcountydrivein.com

The Moonlight Outdoor Drive-In Theater 

The Moonlight Outdoor Drive-In Theater was built in 2000 by Curt Hoffman.

About eight years later, Tim and Barb Suick purchased the outdoor theater located at 1494 E. Green Bay St. in Shawano.

The theater’s current owner, Zeke Heling, said he had worked under both owners at the Shawano Cinema and Moonlight Outdoor Drive-In Theater on and off for 17 years.

Heling said he purchased both in June 2023.

“Last year, I put a lot of effort into elevating the experience of coming to a movie here,” he said. “Now, before showtime, customers at our drive-in can enjoy music, commercials and other content from the ’50s and ’60s – when watching a movie in one’s car was all the rage.”

This property, Heling said, is unique because there’s an outdoor and indoor theater co-existing with each other. 

“I’ve heard the outdoor screen was a salvage from a separate drive-in that existed in town a long time ago…,” he said. “Curt decided to salvage the screen and install it on his property, which is how the business turned into both an indoor and outdoor theater.”

Though curiosity about the drive-in has remained constant, Heling said attendance at the outdoor theater has dwindled.

The theater, he said, has “impassioned patrons” who start asking about the season’s opening as early as March, and folks seem to love the idea of going to a drive-in – especially if they’ve never been – but don’t go, for one reason or another.

“This is the main reason last year (I started to) focus so much energy on enhancing the elements surrounding the movie,” he said. “The ‘movie’ is something you can get at home – the ‘experience’ is not.”

Heling said he is passionate about bringing that experience to the folks in Shawano and beyond with the Moonlight.

“Since childhood, I’ve worked heavily with computers (doing things like graphic design, video editing and copywriting), and more recently, worked professionally in media and advertising agencies,” he said. “Leveraging my creativity to excite people and deliver unique, well-rounded experiences – ‘EXTRA-ordinary Entertainment’ as we say – is important to me. In short, every artist needs his canvas, and Shawano Cinema (is) mine.”

Owner(s): Zeke Heling

Address: 1494 E. Green Bay St., Shawano 

Opened: 2000

Showing: Mostly first-run, but bring back the classics as much as possible

Prices: $9 for adults; $5 for children. $5 for everyone on Tuesday discount day

Audio accessed by: Radio

Amenities: Concessions and bathrooms connected to the indoor theater

Times open: Season starts over Memorial Day weekend and generally closes around Labor Day. Plan to show horror movies through Halloween this year. 

Website: shawanocinema.com/#outdoortheater