A fourth drive-in movie theater is open in Dutchess County.
Story Screen Beacon Theater has partnered with the City of Beacon to create Story Screen Beacon Theater Drive-in.
The pop-up's first showing Friday night, an 8:30 p.m. screening of 1979's "The Muppet Movie," sold out. The theater plans on showing two movies a night Fridays through Sundays, with "Mad Max: Fury Road" serving as this weekend's late-night option.
"I had planned on starting a drive-in before the theater happened," said Mike Burdge, founder of Story Screen Beacon. "It kind of got put on hold when the (indoor theater) opened. Global events have pushed us in that direction again. The City of Beacon has been super supportive and there's a nice community involved."
Indoor movie theaters, including Story Screen Beacon Theater on Main Street, have been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure has renewed enthusiasm for drive-in movie theaters, a staple of the 1950s, around the country. Dutchess already has theaters in Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park and Amenia.
The Story Screen drive-in is located at The Park at USC on Wolcott Avenue. The theater is limited to 50 vehicles and tickets must be purchased online in advance. Though temporary, plans call for the drive-in to operate until at least October.
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City of Beacon Mayor Lee Kyriacou called the partnership on the pop-up "a great idea," noting the city has partnered with other area businesses, such as restaurants, to help them provide services.
Like other drive-ins in the area, Story Screen will have to wait to show new movies, as release dates are being pushed back amid the pandemic. Instead, they are showing classic and popular films; next weekend will see screenings of "The Goonies" and "The Big Lebowski" each night.
Moviegoers can arrive 15 minutes before their screening is set to start. Shows begin at 8:30 p.m. and 11:10 p.m.
Tickets for each movie — no double-features are yet planned — are $10 per adult and $8 per child ages 9 and younger, seniors age 60 and older, and military. Ticket sales end at 6 p.m. the day of screening. Concessions can also be purchased in advance with tickets.
Outdoor experience, with safety
To keep visitors safe, parking spots will be assigned and attendees must stay in their parking spot, only leaving the spot to go to the bathroom or concession stand. Masks must be worn if a distance of six feet cannot be maintained, including during check-in and visits to the bathroom and concession stand.
"All the big work is done and we can finally make people happy again," Burdge said Friday morning before the first shows. "We're psyched, it's like when we opened the theater last February. We're super excited to bring movies back to Beacon."
According to Burdge, the showings can happen rain or shine thanks to their set-up.
"It's a completely different beast dealing with outside," Burdge said. "We were able to test (the equipment) out during a thunderstorm and, as long as people aren't in danger, we're fine if it rains."
The site is scheduled to be open through October, though that may be extended.
"If it's successful, and we really like doing it and people are responsive and they tell the City of Beacon and they make it a thing, we can probably go further than that," Burdge said. "With the seasons, we don't know the new trials this area will give us. So it's temporary for about three months. From there, who knows. We'll see when we get there."
In regard to the Main Street theater, Burdge isn't sure when he'll be given the OK to reopen. Wonder Bar, Story Screen Beacon Theater's neighbor on Main Street, is serving curbside pick-up.
"We don't want to force opening the theater until we're positive we can keep it safe for guests and employees," Burdge said. "We can't keep (the bar and theater) open at the same time due to capacity limits."
More info
Heather Clark covers business openings and closings throughout Dutchess, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. Contact Clark via email, hclark@poughkeepsiejournal.com.
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July 25, 2020 at 02:03AM
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