It has been a long time since our last post. Apologies and Happy New Year!
This post is a call-out to the community. The archives has had a few requests for information on the drive-in theatre that existed in St. Albert. Additionally, our next exhibit is on Eastern European immigration into St. Albert. From recent research for the exhibit, we discovered that one of St. Albert’s Eastern European immigrant families ran the theatre. Here is information from a recent report:
Opened in May 1953 near a slough off Grandin Road, it was called the St. Albert Drive-In Theatre Company. This was only the third drive-in business in the Edmonton region. With the strong emphasis on family after the War, the drive-in concept became more popular, and it was a popular choice for parents to take their children out without necessitating the costs of a babysitter, as the children could play in a playground built in front of the screen until darkness fell and the film began. It was considered ultra-modern for the time and boasted $100,000 of the newest projection and sound equipment and the largest screen in the Edmonton region. The Drive-In provided spots for 560 cars in addition to seating room for people without vehicles. In addition to Stan Hauptman the other directors of the Theatre were George and Nick Kozub, Frank Ball, Joseph Nimchuk and Walter Swane. The drive-inn remained a popular local attraction until it was closed in 1990.[1]
The Musée Héritage Museum has little information on the drive-in theatre and we are wondering if anyone in the community may have photographs. Leave a comment or send us an email and we would be happy to see what you have.
[1] Michal Mlynarz, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian Immigration into St. Albert Research Project, Musée Héritage Museum, St. Albert, Alberta. Interim Draft Historical Summary Report, (unpublished, 2011).
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