MY 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE OPENED FOR THE SEASON LAST NIGHT (FRIDAY), LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTH OF MAQUOKETA ON HIGHWAY 61. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT AND WE HAD AROUND 135 CARS.....PRETTY GOOD FOR OPENING NIGHT.
HERE ARE THE FIRST CUSTOMERS FOR THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE YEAR. THEY ARRIVED AT THE TICKET BOOTH ALREALY BEFORE 6 P.M. AND WAITED UNTIL THEY COULD BUY THEIR TICKETS AT 6:30. THEN, THE FIRST SHOW DID NOT START UNTIL ABOUT 8:30. IN THIS PICTURE: EMMA COX, MAIBYL COX, SOPHIA PIKE,
KELSEY COX, RUTH TRAMMEL, MERCEDES TRAMMELL AND BILL TRAMMELL.
THEY ARE FROM DAVENPORT AND BETTENDORF. THE DRIVE-IN OPENED IN 1950 AND I BOUGHT IT IN 1972. WE ARE OPEN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS ONLY
UNTIL IN LATE MAY, AND THEN WILL BE OPEN 7 NIGHTS A WEEK THRU MOST OF JULY. THEN WEEKENDS ONLY AGAIN UNTI MID-OCTOBER. IT'S A FAMILY DRIVE-IN AND MOST SIT ON THE GRASS AND LISTEN ON THEIR VEHICLE RADIO. ALMOST EVERYONE BRINGS SOME FOOD ALONG, BUT WE HAVE A FULL CONCESSION STAND.
COME OUT SOMETIME.
DENNIS VOY

HERE IS THE 61 DRIVE-IN THEATRE KIDDIE TRAIN...ENGINE AND 4 CARS.
SEATS A MAXIMUM OF 24 KIDS. IT GIVES FREE TRAIN RIDES AROUND THE DRIVE-IN FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE SHOW TIME. THE TRAIN IS AROUND 40 YEARS OLD. WAS FIRST USED AT A MALL N CEDAR RAPIDS AND I PURCHASED IT IN 1972.
ALFRED WITT, IS THE RAILROAD ENGINEER. ALFRED IS A SEMI-RETIRED FARMER WHO HAS HIS FARM ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF THE DRIVE-IN AND HE ALSO MOWS THE BIG LAWN AT THE DRIVE-IN. KIDS LOVE THE TRAIN....AND SOMETIMES PARENTS JUMP ABOARD ALSO.