Abandoned Woodstock drive-in theatre to get new lease on life

(Photo/Jessie Sanderson)

KITCHENER — A couple of entrepreneurs are planning to bring back some movie magic to an abandoned drive-in theatre in Woodstock in the midst of a pandemic.

With the province recently giving the green light for outdoor theatres to reopen, Adam Shaw and Angila Peters saw it as an opportunity to revamp the dormant Oxford Drive-In.

“There is no substitute for watching a great movie on a big screen with a big group. We want that this summer. I think most of us do,” a post on The Oxford Drive-In Facebook page reads in part.

Shaw and Peters are leasing the land along Highway 2 and beginning the process of getting it ready for moviegoers.

“We have rolled up our sleeves and gotten started on the cleanup but there is still a LOT of work to be done. We need it to be safe and ready,” the post reads.

The abandoned theatre had been sitting vacant for a number of years, but after Shaw and Peters saw a picture of the old drive-in on Facebook they saw an opportunity to bring back some nostalgic moments to Oxford County.

“Dozens of people were posting fond memories and I was immediately flooded with my own,” the post adds.

There is no reopening date set yet, but Peters writes that they’re doing their doing their best to open safely as soon as they can.

Over the weekend, the Ontario government amended an emergency order to allow drive-in movie theatres to reopen starting May 31.