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Syracuse, N.Y. — New York’s governor on Monday gave residents of Central New York permission to go “back to the future.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo was referring to drive-in movie theaters, which appeared on a list of recreational and entertainment entities that will be allowed to open Friday, when the governor’s “pause” directive will expire for certain businesses located in certain parts of New York state.
Paul Meyer, the owner of Finger Lakes Drive-In, was thrilled to hear the governor specifically mention drive-ins as newly viable entertainment destinations. He wanted to get more details about what the state will require of drive-ins before publicly revealing details about how the directive affects Finger Lakes.
“I’m very happy to hear the news,” Meyer said, “and looking forward to socially responsibly open as soon as possible.”
Meyer said Finger Lakes plans to open Friday and Saturday with a showing of “Trolls.” He’s pricing the movie at $25 per carload for this weekend only. “Trolls” will begin at dusk.
He has been preparing the drive-in for a planned re-opening and mulling safe social distancing possibilities and alterations going forward. Last week, he brushed red, white and blue paint on the posts that support old-school speakers, which customers can still use to pipe sound into their cars. The sound, too, can be accessed through FM radio or a smart phone app.
Inside the fence of the Finger Lakes Drive-In.
Donna Ditota@syracuse.com
“We’re one of the rare drive-ins that we still have the original speakers. You can put speakers in your window,” Meyer said. “We were just doing spring maintenance stuff. I had the bathrooms painted and renovated. Just to make it as accommodating as possible for the guests. Touch-screen faucet. You don’t have to touch the hand dryers. You can push the door open with your foot. That kind of stuff.”
The drive-in is located on the outskirts of Auburn, about 33 miles from downtown Syracuse. Meyer bought the place about eight years ago; Finger Lakes Drive-In dates to 1947, he said, and is the oldest continuously operated drive-in movie theater in the state.
The large lot features the tall studs of those speaker poles and a 105-foot wide by 77-foot tall screen that Meyer installed “a couple years ago.”
In previous years, he said, Finger Lakes showed the No. 1 or No. 2 box office hit of the week. Sometimes, it showed both hit movies. Many of them catered to kids and families.
Meyer spoke with his movie broker Monday to ascertain what feature films would be available when he opens the drive-in. He will post details on the theater’s website once he’s settled various questions about opening amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The owner of the Midway Drive-In Theatre in Minetto has not responded to emails or phone calls. Keep track of that drive-in through its website.
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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
Donna Ditota is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? Reach her at dditota@syracuse.com.
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