Slowik: Traveling 90 minutes downstate to experience a drive-in movie is worth the trip

As dusk fades into night, the outdoor screens come to life at the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In Movie Theatre in downstate Gibson City.

Children who have been running around retreat to where their parents have parked cars, SUVs and pickup trucks and settle in to quietly watch “Aladdin,” one of the evening’s two features.

“Kids play in the grass areas in front of the screens,” said owner Mike Harroun, who reopened the outdoor cinemas in 1989.

Patrons can bring pets, or fire up a grill so long as the coals are out before showtime, Harroun said. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 7:30 p.m. on other nights. The drive-in is open seven nights a week from Memorial Day weekend through mid-August, and on weekends between April and October.

“It’s like going to a large tailgate,” Harroun said. “We’re pretty easy to get along with.”

I’ve lived all my 54 years in suburban Chicago and until I visited Harvest Moon with my family Wednesday night I had never seen a drive-in movie. The Cascade Drive-In in West Chicago did not open this year, leaving fewer opportunities to cross the experience off my bucket list.

Fewer than a dozen drive-ins remain in Illinois. From Tinley Park, one could battle traffic and drive about 90 minutes northwest to the McHenry Outdoor Theatre in McHenry. Or one could make a leisurely 90-minute drive south to Gibson City by taking I-57 and exiting onto Illinois Highway 54 at Onarga.

About 330 drive-in theaters remained operational nationwide in 2018, down from a peak of more than 4,000 in the late 1950s, according to USA Today.

“There aren’t many drive-ins left,” Harroun said. “It’s a great business, (but) it’s a tough business.”

Year ago, people in the south suburbs would visit the Starlite Drive-In on 95^th Street in Oak Lawn, the ABC Drive-In near Western Avenue and 147^th Street in Posen or the Cicero Twin Drive-In in Monee, according to the website Cinema Treasures.

I grew up in suburban Countryside, where the 66 Drive-In opened in 1948 off LaGrange Road near Joliet Road, or Route 66. The theater closed in 1976 and the site became a shopping center. The Hi-Lite 30 Drive-In in Aurora closed in 2001.

Many former drive-ins have been demolished. The Posen theater was torn down in the 1960s to make way for I-57. Some abandoned structures remain, such as the Hill-Top Drive-In off Maple Road in Joliet, which closed in 2001.

Old-timers might enjoy visiting a working drive-in for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Families with young children might enjoy the experience as an affordable weekend getaway or even a weeknight excursion, albeit a late-night one.

“It’s a real laid-back experience,” Harroun said. “It’s like going back in time.”

My family and I opted to visit Harvest Moon on a weeknight because of schedules and availability. We were prepared with jackets and warm gear on a cool evening with rain in the forecast. As we watched the movie, I kept an eye on a brilliant lightning display moving toward us across the flat farm fields of central Illinois.

Harvest Moon originally opened in 1954 and was closed for a few years before Harroun acquired it. He shows movies, even when it rains.

“The one thing the previous owner told me was, ‘No matter what, have a show,’” Harroun said. If people begin to wonder whether the venue is closed due to weather, they’ll stop coming, he said.

“I don’t care if there are two people out there, they’ll have a show,” Harroun said.

In 2013, Harroun successfully raised enough funds to convert the theater’s two screens to show digital movies after studios stopped providing 35mm films, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Wednesday was a slow night. We parked our SUV with the back facing the screen and popped the hatch. We brought lawn chairs, bug spray and a battery-powered radio to hear the audio for the movie.

In the old days, patrons would attach speaker boxes to their car windows to listen to a film’s audio. Harvest Moon uses FM frequencies. Some people listen along on their car radios, but that can drain the battery. The theater offers to rent FM radios at the concession stand and will jump-start dead car batteries after the show.

Admission is $7 per adult. Patrons pay an additional $5 fee if they bring in their own snacks but receive a coupon worth $6 at the snack bar. The hot dogs, soft pretzels and popcorn we bought were delicious. The restrooms were clean. The customer service was exceptional.

“I keep a clean place,” Harroun said. “We try hard to do it right.”

Harroun said he’s in his 60s and looking forward to retiring in about five years. He said his adult sons, Ben and William, both work at the theater and are instrumental in keeping operations flowing smoothly.

“The drive-in wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them,” Harroun said.

Busy weekends are a completely different experience than weeknights, Harroun said. Kids can ride on a carousel and small train. The “Burger Barn” is open and serves up hamburgers, french fries and other food.

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. One is not bound by indoor cinema etiquette while viewing a movie outdoors seated next to your vehicle. It’s OK to check your cell phone or have quiet conversations without bothering other patrons.

The biggest distraction was the occasional truck rumbling by on Illinois Highway 47, but that’s all part of the experience.

Gibson City has about 3,500 residents. Many of the Harvest Moon’s customers come from Bloomington, Champaign and Urbana, Harroun said.

“We get people from as far away as Chicago,” he said.

Visitors considering an overnight stay could pay $10 online or at the Gibson City police department and claim a spot at the South Park Municipal Campground, where sites have electricity and access to hot showers.

For those not staying overnight, movies end around 11 p.m. and it’s a 90-minute drive back to the south suburbs.