Rare Drive In Theater Closes for Good! Hi-Way Drive In US 30 Lincoln Highway Latrobe PA

Another drive in theatre bites the dust, victim of big box development and new home expansion. The Hi-Way drive in was a fixture on US 30 dating back to the early 50's when it was only a two lane road, and had opened around 1954. At one time as many as 600 cars would crowd into the theatre for family entertainment. They had the best Sunday flea markets as well. Took my kids to several movies here over the years.. This was originally part of the Manos Theatre family and recently was owned by a local family. They have since restored another drive in in Robinson Twp called the Twin Hiway, also on Old US30-US22. See us at www.stuffthatsgone.com

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Abandoned Drive Ins
• Pennsylvania Theater
• Theatre

[Sidewinder9877]

I was lucky enough to go to this Drive-In when it was still operational. Is the flea market still there?

[theqman1956]

@Sidewinder9877 Nothing is going to be there, but CVS.

[CPD0123a]

It's a shame. Nothing beat going there every sunday for the flea market. It's just a darned shame. They really should have used the old sign at least for the CVS. That would have been a good touch.

[lilcheif1133]

I live in latrobe all my life, ( im only 16 ) i remember going to the drive in and playing football between movies. i used to go to EVERY single flea market with my grandma. i never missed one. well if she didnt go, i didnt go. the best thing was getting a dounut and hot coco in the morning :D haha im gonna miss it. now i have nothing to do on a sunday morning :/

[monster4josh]

It is a sad day when any drive-in movie theatre in America closes. We lost our old Skyview Drive-in here in Santa Cruz, CA only a couple years back, and everybody misses it. Money is doing most of the talking, and Sutter Medical Foundation which builds more and more hospitals, has got the clout. Thank you for your documentation of this closure....keep up the god work!

[RQVOutdoorMoovies]

@signingupisretarded You have a point, but, often those developments could have been built anywhere. The demolitions prevent the drive ins from being reopened. Every drive in has a different story. Sometimes the newer generation of a family simply isn't interested. MANY drive ins are profitable right until someone like WALMART buys out the owner. I'll bet there are plenty of EMPTY lots around that drive in. They may not be evil per say, but these developers are heartless. An empty lot would do.

[RQVOutdoorMoovies]

Real nice tribute. Your video acts as a time machine, taking me to a place that no longere exists. I think that TWI HI WAY you mentioned is a much photogaphed screen tower, if its the one I am thinking of.

[whatihave2do]

Hate to see another one of these fade away. There are two in my area. Both are about an hour drive away. I think both fill up each weekend when there is a show. I hope there are here for many years to come.

[signingupisretarded]

Why all the anger towards the "evil" developers? If it was a financially viable endeavor it would have survived. Changing market forces drove the change; no evilness required.

[wrailfan]

We still have a Drive-In in Gratz, PA, although I do miss going to the Columbia Drive-In when I was young.