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| Delaware's Only Drive-In Theatre To Close After 59 Years |
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KENT COUNTY,
DE - July 16, 2008 (WHYY) -- The state's only drive-in
movie theatre will soon go dark forever. The Diamond
Stat Theatre near Felton will shut down after the
2008 season not for lack of business, but because
of the area's skyrocketing property values.
From On the Waterfront to Hellboy 2, the Diamond State Drive-In Theatre has been a featured attraction outside of Felton since 1949. "It's losing an asset for all of Kent County," says theatre leaser Don Brown. It's more than just a movie theatre."
Brown has leased the property since 1995, but with the land recently appraised at 1.2 million dollars, he won't much longer. "The rising land values have pushed the property value here beyond what the property owners can justify for keeping this as a drive-in theatre," says Brown.
County Adminstrator Michael J. Petit de Mange says there will be limited change and that it won't resemble the Route 13 sprawl from Smyrna to Camden. Regardless, Don Brown says any sequel to the Diamond State Drive-In will be build out of the area.
The theatre is scheduled to close in mid-November. •
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By Bill Cook