THE 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE FIVE MILES SOUTH OF MAQUOKETA ON HIGHWAY 61 WILL BE 60 YEARS OLD AUGUST 11TH. I HAVE OWNED IT SINCE 1972. THE ONE- WEEK 60TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WILL BE TOMORROW AND END NEXT THURSDAY. WE WILL FEATURE 60 CENT HOTDOGS, 60-CENT POP AND 60-CENT
POPCORN ALL WEEK AND WE WILL HAVE A REGISTRATION FOR 60 TEN-DOLLAR
GIFT CARDS. SHOWN ABOVE IS GEORGE WRAY OF CEDAR RAPIDS. HE HAS BEEN RETIRED FOR NEARLY A DOZEN YEARS FROM ROCKWELL (FORMERLY COLLINS RADIO) IN CEDAR RAPIDS AND THE WEEKEND AFTER THIS, WILL BE BACK HERE IN HIS HOMETOWN OF MAQUOKETA TO ATTEND HIS 50TH CLASS REUNION OF THE
MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1960. THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN LAST WEEK
AT THE DRIVE-IN WHEN GEORGE CAME TO THE MOVIES WITH HIS WIFE, AND SON AND GRANDCHILDREN. GEORGE WORKED AT THE 61 IN 1958, 59 AND 60 AS A
PROJECTIONIST AND SPEAKER REPAIRMAN. HE WAS HIRED BY THE OWNER,
WALT ALLEN AND MANY TIMES WORKED 7 NIGHTS A WEEK. BUT WHEN HE HAD
NIGHTS OFF, THE PROJECTIONIST WAS ONE OF HIS HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS,
DON SCHLOFELDT, ALSO A BASKETBALL COACH AT MCHS. DON HAD JUST ONE
ARM, TO GEORGE CAME UP WITH A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT ALLOWED
DON TO MAKE THE SWITCH-OVER EVERY 20 MINUTES USING JUST HIS ONE ARM.
GEORGE WAS AT THE DRIVE-IN THE SUMMER NIGHT IN 1960 THAT THE ORIGINAL
WOODEN SCREEN WAS BLOWN DOWN BY A MINI TORNADO. HE IMMEDIATLEY CALLED HIS BOSS, WALT, AND SAID THERE COULD BE NO MOVIE TONIGHT. THEY WERE CLOSED THE REST OF THE SEASON AND IN 1961, OPENED WITH A NEW, WIDER SCREEN THAT COULD SHOW THE WIDER MOVIES. GEORGE ALSO WORKED WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL DURING THE DAY, FOR MEL STILES AT STILES CLEANERS AND FOR PUNCH STOCKHAM CONTRACTOR. HIS DAD, CECIL WRAY, OWNED A RESTUARANT ON MAIN STREET (LATER TO BECOME THE GREEN MILL) AND THEN OWNED HIS COLONIAL RESTAURANT ON EAST PLATT STREET. WHEN HIS MOTHER DIED, THE
RESTAURANT WAS SOLD AND HIS DAD WORKED FOR SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE
FOOD BUSINESS. GEORGE WAS THEIR ONLY CHILD. GEORGE SAID THE DRIVE-IN HAD MANY BUSY NIGHTS, CHANGED THE DOUBLE FEATURES EVERY 2 OR 3 DAYS,
AND HAD A MID-WEEK BUCK NIGHT THAT WAS VERY POPULAR. AND HE RECALLS
LOTS OF KIDS TRYING TO SNEAK-IN THE THEATRE IN THE TRUNK OF THE CAR.
ADMISSION WAS LESS THAN A DOLLAR WHEN HE WORKED AT THE THEATRE.
EVERY NIGHT, GEORGE WOULD SAY: "BEFORE LEAVING, REPLACE THE SPEAKER
TO THE SPEAKER POST NEXT TO YOUR CAR". MANY PEOPLE OVER THE YEARS, DIDN'T DO THAT AND THE SPEAKER WIRE WAS PULLED LOOSE AND GEORGE HOOKED THE SPEAKER WIRE BACK UP AGAIN THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY. THE LATE
M.F. "BUD" McKINSEY WAS THE SECOND OWNER OF THE DRIVE-IN FROM 1964 TO
1971. IN THE SPRING OF 1972 WHEN HE TURNED OVER THE KEYS TO ME, WE
TOOK A TRIP TO DES MOINES TO INTRODUCE ME AT ALL THE FILM COMPANIES
ON "FILM ROW" AND I LEARNED HOW TO BOOK MOVIES FOR THE THEATRE.
DURING THE 8 HOUR ROUND TRIP, HE TOLD ME EVERYTHING ELSE I NEEDED
TO KNOW ABOUT RUNNING A THEATRE, AND I WAS ALL SET TO OPEN THE
SEASON IN LATE MARCH. BUT BEFORE THAT, WE SPENT A COUPLE WEEKS
DOING SOME PAINTING AND FIXING-UP THE DRIVE-IN. I HAD HELP FROM
ARNOLD AND HELEN MEYER, BOTH DECEASED, MY FATHER AND MOTHER IN-LAWS
WHO WORKED FOR ME OUT THERE FOR NEARLY 15 YEARS. IT WAS A GOOD JOB
FOR ARNOLD, WHO HAD M-S AND HAD TO QUIT HIS JOB. HE HAD BEEN A MECHANIC FOR THE SCHOOL AND CORNELIUS FARM STORE. I BOUGHT THE
61 KIDDIE TRAIN FROM A CEDAR RAPIDS MALL IN 1972 AND ARNOLD ALSO FIXED IT UP AND KEPT IT RUNNING. I ALSO BOUGHT THE PASTIME THEATRE IN 1972.
MY FIRST MANAGER WAS BOB KING. IN 1973, I OPENED THE VOY THEATRE
DOWNTOWN AFTER THE PASTIME WAS TORN DOWN TO MAKE ROOM FOR A NEW
VARIETY STORE. SMILES ON MAIN DENTAL BUILDING STANDS AT THAT SITE NOW.
WHEN BOB KING LEFT TO MOVE TO KANSAS CITY, I HIRED JACK JONES OF
MAQUOKETA IN 1974, FRESH OUT OF COLLEGE, AND HE HAS BEEN MY THEATRE
MANAGER FOR BOTH DOWNTOWN AND THE DRIVE-IN EVER SINCE. ONE MORE
THING......THE STEEL 1961 SECOND SCREEN WAS ALSO DOWNED BY A WIND STORM
IN 1995, SO THE CURRENT SCREEN IS THE THIRD OUT THERE. AND THE
SMALL CONCESSION STAND AND SMALL REST ROOMS WERE ENLARGED IN 2004,
WHEN WE STARTED GETTING BIGGER CROWDS BECAUSE WE WERE NOW THE
ONLY DRIVE-IN LEFT IN THE AREA. MOST OF OUR PATRONS ARE FROM
THE QUAD CITIES, HOME AT ONE TIME OF 5 DRIVE-INS. A LOT OF DRIVE-IN
FANS REMAIN DOWN THERE.
END OF THE DRIVE-IN STORY. IT HAS BEEN FUN. AND LOTS OF FUN YEARS
REMAIN.

THE THURSDAY DAILY REPORT IS BELOW!

DENNIS VOY