Daylife in Dunkirk

A hidden gem and a local piece of history, Van Buren Drive-In, reopened this past season for the first time in thirty years. The theater originally opened in 1949. With 850 spots spread across 15 acres of parking, it was one of the biggest of its time. Unfortunately, over the years the popularity of drive-ins declined and VBDI suffered the consequences. In 1991, they showed their final movie (or so people thought).   Flash forward 20 years to 2011 – a tornado tore through the city destroying what was left of the abandoned theater. The big screen was ripped down. All that was left in the following years was a mess …..