Nostalgia night? Local drive-in theater is open again

Along with many other local businesses throughout the Miami Valley, one local drive-in opened its doors to the public this week.

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The Dixie Twin Drive-In movie theater in Harrison Twp. reopened for a new season of drive-in fun on Tuesday, May 12. This reopening came just one week after Gov. Mike DeWine announced the reopening of thousands of retail stores, restaurants, bars, salons and all other nonessential businesses in the coming weeks. To date, there has been no plan announced concerning the fate of other movie theaters.

To keep their employees and guests safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, the owners of the Dixie Twin Drive-In have put certain precautions in place.

Concession stands, for example, are open, though the theater encourages patrons to remain six feet away from one another by putting down pieces of tape for social distancing in the concession stand lines and bathrooms.

“We love having a venue for people to safely practice social distancing, and we will continue to uphold these regulations,” said the staff at the Dixie Twin Drive-In. “We are taking this very seriously and are taking all the necessary precautions to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our visitors and employees, so if you are planning on visiting, please continue to practice social distancing.”

The employees are required to wear face coverings, wash their hands frequently and keep six feet apart from one another while working in the ticket booth and concession stand.

In addition to the reopening of the popular drive-in theater, customers who head to the theater on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 will be able to catch a screening of “The Vast of Night,” an Amazon Studios film about strange signals.

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Set in 1950s New Mexico, “The Vast of Night” follows switchboard operator Fay (played by Sierra McCormick) and radio DJ Everett (played by Jake Horowitz) as they discover a strange audio frequency that could change their small town forever.

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Director Andrew Patterson makes his feature film directorial debut in this film that unfolds as a narrative scavenger hunt through dropped phone calls, AM radio signals, secret reels of tape forgotten in a library, switchboards, crossed patchlines and an anonymous phone call.

 

“The Vast of Night” will be playing at the drive-in on Friday, May 15 from 9:30-11 p.m. on both screens in the outdoor theater. Customers will tune into 107.3 FM for the normal viewing and 105.3 FM for the open caption viewing on the second screen.

Admission will be only 50 cents per person to watch the film. Want to watch it again after seeing it at the drive-in? “The Vast of Night” will be available on Amazon Prime Video on May 29.

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Throughout the first week of its new season, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, the Dixie Twin Drive-In theater will be screening “Trolls World Tour” from 9:10-10:45 p.m.,“The Invisible Man” from 9:15-11:20 p.m., “Dolittle” from 11 p.m. to 12:40 a.m. and “The Hunt” from 11:35 a.m. to 1:05 a.m.

Admission for these movies is as follows:

- Adults (12 and up): $10

- Children (12 and under): $5

- Children (4 and under): Free

- Military Discount: $1

The Paris Flea Market, held on the grounds of the drive-in theater every Sunday morning, is set to reopen on May 17.

The Dixie Twin Drive-In movie theater is located at 6201 N. Dixie Drive in Harrison Twp. For more information about the drive-in movie theater, pay a visit to its website or Facebook page.

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