What’s in store for the Shamrock Drive-In?
A BIG NEW SCREEN FOR THE SHAMROCK DRIVE-IN – There was some seriously heavy lifting going on this past chilly Thursday, as the Reimer Crane crew, along with Jonathan Gillis, carefully stacked up three prepped and painted shipping containers into place at the Shamrock Drive-In to create a new movie screen. A fourth container provides stability from the rear. Owners of Killarney’s 1950s era drive-in, Joanne and Darren Struss, hope to switch on the popcorn machine and illuminate the summer nights in 2021 – and this is one weighty screen that won’t be blown away easily in a tornado! See the full story, which ran earlier this month, below.
Shipping containers ahoy!
BY KIM LANGEN
It was earth-moving time on Tuesday at the Shamrock Drive-In location, just south of Killarney on Highway 18.
Owners Joanne and Darren Struss are finally moving forward with their regeneration plans for the popular 1950s era outdoor movie theatre, and setting up a ground base for a new ‘screen’ is now underway.
The couple was looking for a fresh way to portray the movies, and a radical move to use shipping containers as the screen base seemed like a possible answer.
And in the past few days the big boxes have been accumulating.
“We finally had funds in place to buy four containers,” said Joanne Struss. “The plan is to stack them three high, with a fourth one to go behind them for stability. The stack will be approximately 30’ high, and will be 40’ wide. The containers came from Cantrans in Winnipeg.”
The old drive-in screen was struck and partially destroyed by tornado winds in 2015, and concurrent lightning also ignited one of the major support posts for the structure.
The last windy assault on an already-damaged big screen in 2016 finally put paid to the pleasure of enjoying films under the stars. But, in this strange year of 2020, new plans are now underway.
“Jonathan Gillis was hired to level and lay a gravel base,” said Struss. “Then we have Gord Reimer on standby with his crane to stack them. The plan is to be ready for next spring. Hopefully the industry is open again and new features available.”
Darren Struss said he wanted to create a very, very stable viewing structure for future drive-in movie nights.
“We’ve taken out all the old poles,” he said. “We will be linking the shipping containers together, to make them very secure. If we get another tornado, we want something that we can run toward, not away from.”
The couple has also faced the challenge of upgrading their projection equipment from 35 mm film to digital format in recent years – a very expensive upgrade. But Darren Struss, a bit of creative tech genius, has managed to procure the components to create the technology for a reasonable price.
“There is still plenty to do…but we’re at least on our way,” said Joanne Struss.
A few decades ago the couple actually enjoyed their very first date at a Shamrock Drive-In movie, and have always loved the flicks.
They took over the historical Killarney business in 2011, mostly out of dedication and affection towards its nostalgic connections. And with luck, and thanks to local fundraising, the dream of a return to the old drive-in nights is now on the glowing horizon.
And in an ironic twist of fate, never was a time better for staying in your car – and at least six feet away from your neighbouring movie-goers – while enjoying a pandemic night out.
BIG PLANS AHEAD FOR SHAMROCK DRIVE-IN – Four solid sea containers are currently resting heavily on the old Shamrock Drive-In theatre site, seen on the east side of Hwy. 18, just south of town. The whopping shipping containers will be lifted and assembled on the new gravel base to become an alternative, tornado-proof ‘screen’ for the drive-in.
WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES – Contractor Jonathan Gillis was out on windy location behind the scenes at the Shamrock Drive-In on Tuesday, using his backhoe to prepare the ground site for a new gravel base, where sea shipping containers will soon be erected to create a new movie ‘screen.’ Joanne and Darren Struss are projecting that the popular outdoor movies could soon start up again – after sunset, and under the stars – very possibly next spring.
KIM LANGEN/KILLARNEY GUIDE PHOTOS