Love in the Fast Lane: Pennsylvania Couple Saves World’s Oldest Drive-In Theater

I’m Sage Matthews, and I’m here to guide you through another disheartening tale of humanity’s struggle to preserve the past. As I sit here at 2 AM, shaking my head and muttering, “Of course this happened,” I’m reminded that even in the darkest of times, love and nostalgia can prevail. A Pennsylvania couple, Matt McClanahan and Lauren McChesney, has taken on the ambitious task of preserving the world’s oldest operating drive-in movie theater, Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre.

In a heartwarming yet unsurprising turn of events, McClanahan and McChesney’s love story began at a drive-in movie theater in 2018. They started dating a year later and got engaged in August. Their romance blossomed amidst the nostalgic backdrop of drive-in movies, which ultimately led them to purchase Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre in 2022. This 89-year-old institution, Pennsylvania’s first drive-in and the nation’s second, was facing the threat of being sold to developers.

The drive-in movie theater industry, which began in Camden, New Jersey, in 1933, has been on a steady decline since its peak in the late 1950s. At its heyday, there were over 4,000 drive-ins across the country, but by 2024, that number had dwindled to just 283. Shankweiler’s, however, has managed to buck the trend, thanks to the efforts of McClanahan and McChesney.

The couple’s journey to saving Shankweiler’s began during a cross-country road trip, where they visited various drive-ins, both operational and abandoned. They initially planned to open a new drive-in but changed their minds when they learned that Shankweiler’s was up for sale. “Why are we spending so much time trying to build one when there’s one literally down the road from our house that’s for sale and is like the most important drive-in?” McClanahan said.

McClanahan, 35, who grew up going to Shankweiler’s, had previously managed another drive-in and started a mobile movie business during the COVID-19 pandemic. McChesney, 41, had never been to a drive-in before 2018 and left her stable corporate job in the healthcare industry to join McClanahan in this new venture. The couple pooled their savings and secured a $1 million loan to buy the drive-in, a risk that has paid off.

Shankweiler’s is now open seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day and Thursdays through Sundays the rest of the year. Tickets range from $9 for children to $13 for adults. The drive-in has attracted big-name films like “Wicked” and special events like Valentine’s Day “date night” screenings of “The Notebook.” Ken Querio, a 52-year-old regular, has been going to Shankweiler’s since he was a teenager and expressed his gratitude to the new owners, saying, “It’s wonderful to have an old-school, an old venue like this still going.”

As the fourth owners of Shankweiler’s, McClanahan and McChesney are determined to preserve the past while forging a future for this beloved institution. Their love story, intertwined with their passion for drive-in movies, serves as a beacon of hope in a world where everything seems to be falling apart.

In conclusion, as I close this article, I’m left wondering what other nostalgic institutions will be saved by love and determination. Will this be the start of a new trend, or just another anomaly in a world that’s rapidly losing its sense of nostalgia?

Sources: Celebrity Storm and Associated Press
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed