There are only 414 drive in theatres left in North America. Now, with the closing of the North York Drive In in East Gwillimbury –only 413 remain. The response to the closing of the Drive In after 58 years has been overwhelming. At last count, nearly four thousand Likes, Comments and Shares have filled the North York Drive in Facebook page. Impassioned Letters to the Editors have been written. Neighbours informed neighbours of the news, and so on…. The main sentiment in all this: an aching sadness and bittersweet remembrance of things past…
After all, the North York Drive In wasn’t just a drive in. It was where thousands experienced their first kiss, where teenagers were dropped off for their first summer job, where kids ran loose and played on creaky, old-school equipment in their pjs, where concession snacks were sold with a smile, where the late John Candy, local resident, reportedly sailed in after dark to enjoy the movies in peace, where residents of a small town could escape, where friends and acquaintances met, pulling out their lawn chairs, sighing with a happy summer feeling of being in the moment, in a wide, open field…
East Gwillimbury experienced the goodness of the drive-in long past many other towns. Its continued existence was emblematic of a “holdout innocence” and quirky beauty that is unique to the area.
The change occurred because it had to. Many factors were at work. The march of development. The cost of new technology. The decline of movie theatre attendance in general. A husband-and-wife duo, Cliff and Nancy Murrell (owners), who simply wanted to retire after years of late nights/ hard work, are some of the reasons why. (“Show’s Over for North York Drive In”). But the magic and memories from those spring and summer nights will live on forever.
