Matthew McClanahan, 2014 Temple grad, credits an internship in Los Angeles with igniting a love for the theater business that led to a partnership running the Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, Carbon County for the past five years.
"It had film projection at the time which was for a lot of drive-ins a death sentence because digital is so expensive," McClanahan recalled. "But we turned that into a selling feature. We turned that into its strong point."
McClanahan said this would have been the drive-in's opening weekend, but COVID-19 scuttled those plans. Now, they're looking at possibilities for the last weekend of May.
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"We are going to do it safely, practice social distancing," McClanahan explained. "And we're probably going to have limited concession options. Limit movement of people around the lot."
"This is all very fluid," he added. "We're watching the situation closely. We want to make sure everyone's safe."
McClanahan said he and his partners are working with county and local officials on a game plan for the drive-in's return.