On June 14th, 1956, the Dalke family opened their very own drive in theater. It was a true labor of love, and immediately attracted big crowds for the surrounding areas. Like many other drive in theaters of it's day, it was a real hub for the community. The popularity of The Family Drive In grew with time as more families moved into the area and made their own memories under the stars.

As was also the case in the 80s for so many drive ins, the emergence of the multi-plex moved customer sentiment towards more screens and more movie choices, and the Family Drive In's popularity waned. But it still remained an important part of the community with a very dedicated base of friends who continued to support the business.

By the middle of the 2000s, the Dalke family had decided to move on from operating and an incredible man named Jim Kopp took over the operation. With some fresh ideas and the vigor that a new business owner can bring, Jim took The Family Drive in to new heights. But a major shift in the industry loomed on the horizon.

The Hollywood movie studios had decided that it was time to switch away from 35mm film prints to digital at both indoor cinemas and drive ins. At the time, new digital projectors capable of lighting up our massive outdoor screens were well into the $100,000+ range, per screen! There was a real risk that The Family Drive In would have to cease operations. But without prompting, many regular customers began just leaving change at the ticketbooth and in the concession stand. Eventually Jim decided it was worth a shot, maybe the community could help him get the funds to do the conversion?

The money cam pouring in and over the course of about 6 weeks, all the money needed to start the process of getting the projectors was raised! For the next 8 years, Jim happily ran the drive in and was able to pay off the balance of the loans for the new projectors due to the continued patronage of the Family Friends.

Tragically, our dear friend Jim died during Covid. Soon after it became clear that his family was not interested in taking ownership of the drive in business, and the lease Jim had signed was soon to be voided and the property would be put up for sale by the Dalke family. That was until a Family Friend reached out to several drive in theater owners around the country to see if they might step in and save the drive in from closing. A drive in owner from Texas named Andrew Thomas answered the message, and within weeks an agreement was struck to buy the drive in business from Jim's family.

Since that time, Ron Graham, Jim's right hand man for more than a decade has been tasked with managing and caring for the drive in. His passion for this place is unrivaled. Anybody who has had the good fortune of meeting him knows that Ron's love for The Family Drive In knows no end. In 2023, after 7 consecutive years of having substantial damage to the main screen, Ron brought the idea of doing another fundraiser effort to rebuild the screen, something that had been quoted at nearly $100,000!. Over the next 18 months, almost $30,000 was donated towards the project.

In the spring of 2025, Andrew Thomas and his friend who owns a construction company came up to Stephens City and spent 2 weeks doing the demolition and construction to fully restore than massive original screen, including completely rebuilding the internal framing.

The hope had been that the lease on the drive in would be extended again and the business would keep operating. As quite a surprise, the landlord told the business in the summer that the land was going to be put on the market soon, and for a price of $1,500,000.00. After crunching the numbers, it became clear that paying such a sum for the land would turn the business from modestly profitable, to a money pit that the business would never climb out of.

Things seemed rather dire. And then the property listing went live, and the drive in was inundated with questions about the sale. We went to our Facebook page to explain the unfortunate reality of the situation.

What happened next was the floodgates opening wide in support of the drive in staying a drive in. Everything from regular customers to small businesses to artists and musicians asking how they can help save this wonderful piece of history.

So here is the truth: outside of massive fundraising, there is really no hope that the drive in will go on. But we just don't want to go away without trying! So consider chipping in a few bucks, and please share this as far and wide as possible. We think even in these uncertain economic times, that saving the drive in just might be possible.

All funds collected will go towards Ron Graham purchasing the land to preserve it as a drive in. Thank you for reading, thank you for sharing, and thank you for giving!

Save The Family Drive In for another 70 years!

By Family Drive In Friends

Save The Family Drive In for another 70 years!