Shankweiler's Drive-In holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running drive-in in the U.S. But it wasn't easy. Opened by Wilson Shankweiler back in 1934, the theater barely survived the wrath of Hurricane Diane in 1955?both the screen and the projection room had to be rebuilt.
Paul Geissinger, who has served as the theater's projectionist since 1971, and his wife, Susan, bought Shankweiler's in 1984, and strive to re-create an atmosphere as close as possible to the one drive-in patrons experienced in 1934?even going so far as to top their popcorn with real butter! But Shankweiler's has also had to keep up with the various advancements in theater technology over the years?from outdoor loudspeakers to car-mounted monaural speakers, the drive-in was actually the first to offer FM broadcast stereo in 1986, and in 2002 it installed RED L.E.D. Spectral recorded analog soundtrack readers and cinema sound processors, which can produce surround-sound effects on your car's stereo with near digital quality. "The next step," Geissinger says, "will be the conversion to digital," which will allow this classic drive-in to play the latest first-run feature films. But when a single digital projector costs upward of $70,000, this latest upgrade won't be a cheap one.
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