Pleasant Valley Drive-In in Barkhamsted has been sold

Submitted by BobLI t3_11wo7tt in Connecticut

From the home page of https://www.pleasantvalleydriveinmovies.com/

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TO MY LOYAL CUSTOMERS: IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS THAT I TELL YOU THAT AFTER 27 YEARS I WILL NO LONGER OWN AND OPERATE THE PLEASANT VALLEY DRIVE IN THEATER.

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THE PROPERTY, AFTER BELONGING TO THE SAME FAMILY FOR MANY MANY YEARS, WAS SOLD IN DECEMBER OF 2022. THE PROPERTY IS NOW OWNED BY PLEASANT VALLEY PROPERTIES LLC.

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I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, LOYALTY, CONTRIBUTIONS, ADVICE, LABOR AND LOVE.

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THANK YOU

DONNA MCGRANE

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Comments

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Eyeseeno t1_jcz0usc wrote

I wonder if the new owners plan to keep it a drive in

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jdsunny46 t1_jcz1poe wrote

They do they made a statement on Facebook.

I'm wondering if they will honor lifetime passes.

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fuserx t1_jcz7472 wrote

I went to their Facebook. I do not see anything on there that is suggestive that it will continue to be a drive-in movie theater...

Where did you see that?

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BobLI OP t1_jczt7cj wrote

I thought there was a mention buried deep in the Facebook comments.

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jdsunny46 t1_jd0k1dl wrote

It was removed. Then someone posted a screenshot in the Colebrook page.

Then people complained that this person was continuing rumors.

I guess we will see.

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theycallmepeeps t1_jcz2fue wrote

Oh I hadn’t see that they intended to keep the drive in going, that’s great news!

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spmahn t1_jd04bi0 wrote

Regardless of what they are saying now, I’d be surprised if they did. The theater business in general isn’t doing well, several movie theaters across the state have closed in the past year. A drive in that can realistically only operate at best for maybe 4 months out of the year is probably an extremely difficult business to run profitably even if the theater business was running gangbusters.

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Darondo t1_jczjin8 wrote

Less than 3 years ago the owner raised over 40k on gofundme to renovate and keep the theater open, about 5x what was asked for. Not saying there is funny business here, but I’d be disappointed if I donated a significant amount. I know a drive in theater can’t be a lucrative business and it’s sad she had to sell in the end after all those years.

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spmahn t1_jd04okp wrote

I would bet there was no funny business involved, the place was probably a money pit and burning through $50k is nothing when you’re in the red

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Ftheyankeei t1_jczxgoq wrote

If the property owners sold the property there’s not all that much she can do

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QuestorPS7 t1_jczj274 wrote

Whatever happened to that new drive-in The River that was supposed to open in Wethersfield? Was announced 2 years ago and then silence.

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GadgetKen t1_jd0n4zi wrote

Also got this message via email. Bummer.

Drive-ins have a lot of nostalgia. Drive-ins were more prevalent decades ago. But had to compete with Apple theatre by Ford dealer and Gilson dinner theatre in Winsted plus at home DVD's, streaming, cable, satellite, etc. Plus sort of in an out of way place by river (can be buggy). But they upgraded to a digital projector and it was pretty popular with family deals, double features, etc. Hope they return under new management, but we'll see if it remains a drive-in.

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VancouverMethCoyote t1_jdai7nm wrote

Had some good times here. We'd throw an air mattress and pillows in the back of the SUV, go pick up a pizza, and bring it in.

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BobLI OP t1_jdaqrvn wrote

What was your favorite movie experience at the drive-in?

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