New Conklin Drive-In Theater Adds to Growing List in The Area
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic forcing movie theaters to close, drive-in movie theaters have begun to pop up all around the country including here in the Binghamton area.
Dublin's Adventure Resort Outdoor Theater opened late last month. It's located at the old Conklin Sports Park at 942 Conklin Road in Conklin. Owner Steve Mower said they have a 40-foot screen and plan to show movies on Fridays and Saturdays through October.
This weekend they're showing the classic Smokey and the Bandit at 9 p.m. both nights.
Mower told me that they expect to get approval from Disney this week so they can show Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in early August.
Conklin Sports Park was home to an awesome go kart track and driving range as well. Both of those closed many years ago. Mower said they hope someday to bring the driving range back to life and maybe add batting cages too.
Drive-in movie theaters are becoming a growing trend as coronavirus sticks around, but it seems like the Southern Tier is becoming more and more equipped to adjust.
The well-known drive-in in Unadilla has been operating for a long time, well before COVID-19 was even a thing. Looks like they may have a crystal ball that we don't know about...
Also it was recently announced that the Oakdale Mall just off the highway would would start showing drive-in movies. There's no firm date on that yet, but that seems to be a great option just off the highway that lots of people will likely buy into.
A couple of months ago we told you about another drive-in movie theater that popped up at the old train station in Binghamton next to NYSEG Stadium. Drive-Ins are a great alternative to the traditional theaters because you can watch the movie in the safety of your car and not have to worry about whether or not the seat your in was sanitized after it was used last.
Even Walmart announced a couple of weeks ago that they will be hosting movies in the parking lots of some of their stores across the county. It is unknown if that will include either or both of the Walmarts in Johnson City or Vestal.
Years ago, Binghamton was home to the Airport Drive In as well as the V Drive-In in Vestal. Both of those closed up many years ago. The closest drive-in theaters to the Binghamton area, besides these pop-up drive-in movie theaters, that are still functional, are all about an hour away. There is one in Elmira, one in Unadilla, and one in Dickson City Pennsylvania just northeast of Scranton.
[via: Dublin's Adventure Resort]