AUBURN, NY (NCC NEWS) – Drive-In movie theatres have experienced an uptick in ticket sales and venue requests because of the pandemic. State regulations allow fifty percent capacity for indoor activities, but at Finger Lakes Drive-In Theatre the outdoor setting allows many families and friends to gather but remain socially distanced within their car.
Since the pandemic has left people socially distanced with guidelines on in-person activities, the drive-in theatre became more popular. The ability to pack more than 800 people in the venue and have participants remain more than 6ft away and aren’t a problem at drive-ins like Finger Lakes.
Paul Meyer, owner of the Finger Lake Drive-In says that they normally would have closed down September 1st of this year but the demand for watching a movie in the drive-in has since increased.
“We hold different kinds of events, we had a hospice event, a Make A Wish Foundation event, and sometimes concerts,” said Meyer. “We usually open back up in October to do Halloween movies”.
The Salt City Horror Festival is one of those events that is utilizing this drive-in. It has continued for 20 years in The Palace Theatre but after the state mandate to close all theatre, Program Director Jeff Meyers had to move the Salt City Horror Festival to Finger Lakes Drive-in so the tradition can continue.
Meyer said “Two weeks ago we were scrambling trying to find a venue, that’s when we reached out to drive-ins because every drive-in in New York State is open and there’s really no cap on capacity and you’re all outdoors safely distanced from each other”
Volunteers and workers have been able to keep their job throughout the summer. Guidelines like wearing masks, washing hands, and staying 6ft apart still apply. The crew consists of 5 people that work the box office, concession stand, film tape, and parking.
Carl Phillips, a box office volunteer said “I think we’ve gotten busier because the other theatres aren’t allowed to open and pack people into smaller rooms so being in a drive-in makes it a lot easier to deal with and socially distance”.
Finger Lakes Drive-In located in rural Auburn, NY isn’t new to local people. The drive-in has been open since 1947 and is just 1 out of the 15 left in New York State.
Bill Staley, a volunteer audio technician, worked on the speakers to improve the sound quality of the antique speakers. Staley said, “This is one of the oldest driving and continuously operating in New York State and I wanted that novelty of seeing that continually operate”.
As the weather gets chillier the Drive-In will shut down but will still use their space as a venue to book.
