Drive-in theater revived in Brownville Owners to offer family entertainment

BROWNVILLE – They were popular in their heyday and a couple of families in Brownville are betting that drive-in theaters will once again spring up across the country.

Doing their part to help the movement are Don and John Belvin and their wives, Coleen and Kristen, who have purchased a 14-by-20-foot screen and will run their first set of double features tonight from their outdoor amphitheater at the Junction General Store and Entertainment Park on Route 11.

“Grease” and “American Graffiti” will be shown at a cost of $3 per person. Admission is free for children ages 7 and under.

“We believe that it’s something that actually is coming back and we just wanted to jump the gun and get ahead of the game,” Don Belvin said of the business. Only five drive-in theaters now operate in the state, with all but one located in southern Maine, he said. Skowhegan is the closest, according to Belvin.

Every weekend this summer, the Belvins plan to offer family movies, both newly released DVDs and classics.

At other times, the family offers concerts by tribute bands, the first of which will be the Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute Band on June 30. In addition, their facility is available for birthdays, conventions and corporate parties.

“In combination with our stage, what better way to make use of it than for concerts and being able to use it is a drive-in?” Belvin said.

For now, the sound that accompanies the movies will be aired over a PA system. In the future, however, there will be FM transmission through moviegoers’ vehicle radios.

There is space on the grassy property for 300 to 500 people who can sit in their vehicles or bring their screen tents and lawn chairs and make themselves at home. The Belvins also will operate a concession stand from their store.

Recalling his younger days when his family went to the Milo drive-in, Belvin said those were happy memories. It’s a family affair and that’s “what we’re all about.”

“It’s a huge investment, it’s a huge risk we’re taking, but we believe it will be supported,” Belvin said Thursday of the drive-in.