Hillcrest Drive In 1953-2003

The last remaining local Drive In, the Hillcrest, closed in 2003. I made it a point to be there for the last night, when they showed 4 movies into the early hours of the morning to a packed field of patrons who wanted to say goodbye to a landmark. The Hillcrest was located in Surrey, on the surrey/Langley border and the once farm land, was quickly becoming developed. The land where the Hillcrest sat is now a condo development and a shopping mall. The owner of the Hillcrest has since built a brand new, from scratch, Drive In (named the Twilight Drive In) just 20 minutes away from the old Hillcrest site. I spent many nights at the Hillcrest, as I designed the original web site for the owner, and because of that, I got in free anytime I wanted!

When the Hillcrest closed, I took a few pictures. Above is a photo of the Hillcrest marquee, and a couple of photos of the speaker polls as they were being removed. I love the black and white photo of the speaker polls as they had been dug up that morning and piled up at the front of the field, ready to be hauled away. The photo has a kind of erie feel to it don't you think!?

Skyline Drive In

Here is a cool photo I took of the Skyline Drive-In marquee. I used iPhoto to change the photo to black and white to add a little bit of a retro feel to the photo. I love Drive In theaters and every summer my friend Andrew and I take a mini vacation to hit a few more Drive Ins within a days drive from home. The Skyline is in Shelton, WA, and yes, they are open again this summer. There is also a Drive In right here in my own neck of the woods called the Twilight Drive-In. Interestingly enough the Twilight was built just two years ago! More on the Twilight in a later blog. Make a point to visit your local Drive In this summer, its a great way to spend an evening under the stars watching some of the summers big block buster films right from the comfort of your own car. If you are not sure if there is Drive In in your area, check out Drive-Ins.com and use their online database to find one near you.