Williston Home to ND's Lone 'Drive-In' | KXNet.com North Dakota News

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Williston Home to ND's Lone 'Drive-In'

The summer blockbuster season is here for Hollywood.

Spiderman, Pirates, Shrek all are back on the big screen for 2007.

And, in Williston, you have the choice of seeing them on the really big screen.

Jim Olson grabs a large popcorn for the story...

(Jim Olson, KX News) Every night, the Lake Park stokes the popcorn maker. Cranks up the snow cone machine. And fires up the projector. But at this theater, when the fans leave the concession stand, they head outside - to sit in their cars.

(Customer) "I can sit in my vehicle and relax and not have to sit in any cramped seats."


(Tom Agnes, Owner) "This is the only drive in in North Dakota."


(Jim Olson, KX News) Tom Agnes and his wife Jane run the Lake Park Drive In in Williston - and own the six standard theaters downtown. They say operating the drive in is a nice change from their daily business routine

(Jane Agnes, Owner) "It's very much more casual and the people are more relaxed when they come here. You get to see people come with their pajamas on and they sit out in their chairs."


(You have your child along and that's no problem?) (Customer) "Nope, he likes it. He sits in the car and watches movies or runs around. He has fun."


(Customer) "It's a lot more old-fashioned, you have the playground and a good family running up there.

(Jim Olson, KX News) The owners have a lot of experience in theaters - especially at drive ins

(Tom Agnes, Owner) "I started out as a teenager working at a drive in theater. So it brings some nostalgia."


(Jim Olson, KX News) But their experience goes beyond buttered popcorn and projector repairs.

(Jane Agnes, Owner) "My husband and I met at the drive in. We worked at a drive in when we were 15 and 16."


(Jim Olson, KX News) Yes, their love bloomed at the drive in - and it's an atmosphere that a new generation can still discover - at least here

(Customer) "It's kind of unique that we have one here. It's fun that you get to hang out in your car and watch the movie versus just the norm of going to a movie theater.

(Jane Agnes, Owner) "You do get a lot of people who have moved out of the area or are just visiting and they say, "Oh I remember when I was a little kid and my parents came and now I have to bring my children so they can experience the same thing I did when I was little."


(Customer) "It's about the only one out here anymore so we're pretty lucky, yeah I like it."


(Jim Olson, KX News) Lucky to be able to experience the unique atmosphere at North Dakota's only drive in theater. In Williston, Jim Olson, KX News.

While the Lake Park is North Dakota's only drive in theater, there's another one not far away.

Plentywood, Montana also has a drive in. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list


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Comments Posted by KXNet.com Users

Posted by Huh? on Jun 18 2007 9:53PM - It's really too bad that Bismarck/Mandan doesn't have a drive-in theater anymore. That was the best way to see a movie. I loved it because as the article said you didn't have the cramped seating, and it was much more comfortable in the car. Also, you didn't have someone sitting right in front or behind you making noise.

Bismarck needs to get a drive-in theater again!!!

Posted by joy reimche on Jun 19 2007 8:27AM - I too think it is a shame to not have other theaters around the state. I would love to see something come back, another in Minot would be nice, as the last person said it is much nicer to be able to sit in your car,plenty of room and if you have to have your children so be it, normally kids just go to sleep anyway and best of all you dont need to find a sitter.

I commend the owners of the Williston theater, A job well done!!

Posted by BeenThere on Jun 20 2007 3:04PM - We went to the Williston drive-in theater last summer, and hope to get up there again this summer. It was so fun to experience the drive-in theater. We saw families, groups of young teenagers, and even older couples. Pretty fun time. I am wondering if drive-in theaters have bottomed out, and now will probably start coming back again? Kind of like shopping malls are loosing out to the new "power center" strip malls...like Pinehurst Square. Hopefully we will see a resurgent of drive-in theaters.

Posted by ben on Jun 20 2007 6:10PM - Wow, I didn't know outdoor theaters even existed anymore, let alone in ND. What a nice suprise to see Williston still has one. I think we will run up to check it out one of these weekends. I remember as a little kid going to the Starlight in Mandan.

Posted by Dave on Jun 25 2007 4:44PM - I never knew there were any drive-in theaters left in North Dakota. I was talking to some people who used to live in Williston, they said it has never closed...has always been open...and passed down from previous owners to the new owners (Agnes family) who moved to Williston from out of state a few years back. Congrats to the Agnes family for keeping the Williston Drive-in theater alive and well. Look forward to stopping by this summer to check it out.

Posted by let's do it! on Jul 1 2007 7:54PM - We really do need a drive in theater in Bismarck. They are a blast and there is no reason we shouldn't have one. Maybe Parks and Rec can look into this. Go to Denver - they have lots and lots of drive ins. They are NOT a thing of the past - only in ND are they gone.

Posted by Carol on Jul 2 2007 5:31PM - I did a little research on movie drive-in theaters, there were 3,775 drive in movie theaters in 1950's, by the 90's, it dropped to 897...today there are only 432 left in the U.S. The good news is in the last few years, 59 have been re-opened or rebuilt...3 new ones last year. Still a far cry from years gone by. They are a thing of the past all over the U.S...not just North Dakota. But hopefully, if the trend continues, we will see more and more coming back on line. Denver may be an exception to the trend.

Posted by youngbird on Jul 3 2007 8:30AM - i went to the theater last year and for two show and kids free under a certain age plus the price for two show cant be beat
i will be attending more show there no doubt


Posted by IndependantTheaterOwners on Jul 3 2007 4:56PM - I think the biggest problem with the closing of so many Drive In Movie Theaters is because so many theaters are now owned by huge corporations. The ones that are still tend to be owned and operated by independant-local movie theater owners. In Williston, all of the theaters are owned by a wonderful local family. If a national corporation were to come in and buy up the Williston market (like what has happened in Bismarck-Mandan)...chances are, the corporation would shut down the drive-in since it couldn't be making $$$ all year long. Isn't it funny that it was Mandan that had the drive-in theater, and now ALL theaters are mushed together into 2 huge clumps...both in Bismarck.

Posted by Jen on Jul 4 2007 6:51PM - Seeing this almost makes me want to hop in the car with a load of kids and head up to Williston for a night. Sounds like fun.

Posted by I wish on Jul 5 2007 1:09AM - I was watching the movie "Grease" with my kids earlier this week and when it came to the drive-in scene I told my kids how much fun it used to be to go to the drive-in. They had no idea what a drive-in movie even was. It would be so much fun to take them. For the first time in my life, I kind of want to live in Williston

Posted by MN Native on Jul 5 2007 10:38PM - From 1979 to 1983 I worked at a Drive-In. Sky-Vu Drive In. The shows used to run 7 days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. There would be three double features a year plus, oncle, a season a triple feature. I worked running the projectors along with three other guys. Its still open but only on weekends. Outside Warren, MN. Many great memories come back about the Drive In atmosphere!!

Posted by Kyle on Jul 6 2007 8:10PM - Not recommending this, so don't try it at home. But, when we were teenagers and living in Williston area, we would hide a couple of people in the trunk and try sneak them in. They would check randomly if they were suspicious. We got caught a couple of times, but this day and age, you'd probably get arrested...it definately was not very wise...and very dangerous. But still fun.

Posted by Kyle on Jul 6 2007 8:14PM - I remember going with my family, way back when...you had to put those speakers in your car window and roll up the window. We thought is was sooooo cool when someone would accidently take off after the movie with the speaker still in the window. The owners were for ever repairing the window speakers. But now days of course, everything is by fm radio receiver, so they don't use the speakers anymore.

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