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 of overgrown forestry and vandalism.

 

In 2020, a local couple picked up the pieces (metaphorically and literally.) Dan and Gina Beckley purchased the drive-in and got to work. After some major clean-up, they were back in business.

 

On October 1^st, 2021, they aired their first movie.

 

The season lasted a couple months, until they decided it was too cold to continue. They plan to start back up sometime in April of 2022.

 

Renovations are still being made; she’s a work in progress.

 

Right now, there’s only one screen open in the same spot where it stood back in the day, but they are working on a second and third. The second screen is supposed to have an LED video wall system that will allow for movies to be shown during the day.

 

They are in the process of fixing up the original 1949 ticket booth and concession stand as well.

 

They’re also working on a full-service campground where people can come hook up their RV’s. This section will have fire pits where you can pull up a chair and watch your movie around the fire.

 

Even though it’s not yet in season, when I visited VBDI, I could feel the history in the air. Being there almost feels like going back in time. It’s such an incredible place and I’m super excited to see what they have in store this spring.

 

It’s also less than 10 minutes away from the SUNY Fredonia campus. What a cool hangout to have in a college town!