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Today is National Drive-In Movie Day.

Today we celebrate the first-ever drive-in movie theater opening in the U.S. 89 years ago in Camden New Jersey. A guy named Richard Hollingshead opened the very first drive-in theater…

Drive-Ins

Drive-In venues for movies, concerts and other events became a big trend, especially in the spring and summer months when the weather warmed up and the spread of the coronavirus went down. Drive-In events became a fun way to get out of the house and actually do something that reminded us of pre-pandemic life.

Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images

Today we celebrate the first-ever drive-in movie theater opening in the U.S. 89 years ago in Camden New Jersey. A guy named Richard Hollingshead opened the very first drive-in theater in the city "on what's now Admiral Wilson Boulevard on the border of Pennsauken. The first movie shown was the British film "Wives Beware." It cost 25 cents per car, plus an additional 25 cents per person.

Drive-in theaters became a fixture across the United States after World War II, peaking at more than 4,000 movie theaters in the 1950s. Hollingshead's theater was unfortunately short-lived as it closed less than three years after its opening.

There are only two remaining drive-in movie theaters in New Jersey: the Newark Moonlight Cinema and Delsea Drive-In Theatre in Vineland.

Have you been to a drive-in lately?

Click the link below to see those old school advertisements that were shown at the drive-in back in the day.

Rockyn Robyn Lane is WRAT’s Music Director & Assistant Program Director. She also has worked as the on air goddess 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Monday Through Friday since 1996! Robyn loves to write articles and blogs mostly about food with an emphasis on local eateries. She says she loves shining the spotlight on local businesses, giving them the love they deserve. Not surprisingly, Robyn also loves to cook and bake herself. He recipes can be found on WRAT’s various social media pages. She also hosted a short series called “Rocker In The Kitchen” where she cooks with various rock artists.