Abandoned Oxford Drive-In getting a second run

Oxford Drive-in Theatre being revived The long-abandoned Highway 2 drive-in will soon be lit up with big blockbusters hitting the screen. CTV London's Bryan Bicknell has more

Oxford County, Ont. — A taste of silver screen nostalgia is coming soon to Oxford County as a local couple restores the abandoned Oxford Drive-In.

Angila Peters and Adam Shaw of Woodstock have taken on the project, and hope to bring the roadside attraction back to glory. It comes as the province recently lifted most of the restrictions on drive-in theatres, while conventional movie houses remain closed.

Peters says they will eventually show new movies, once film distributors begin releasing them again, but for now they plan to screen classic favourites.

"We’ve had requests from people for old movies, classic movies. We’re looking at what other drive-ins across Canada and the U.S. are doing right now to see what they’re having success with."

Shaw said they’ve been getting a lot of helpful advice from drive-in owners across North America.

"We talked to a distributor in B.C. who said they were running E.T. followed by Jurassic Park, and there was a very good response."

The Oxford Drive-In originally opened in 1951. Retired businessman, Al Mackay ran it for four decades until he sold it in 2013. He’s now helping the couple get back up and running, but he remembers the heyday well.

"Back in those days, Saturday, it could be pouring rain. We’d fill up before it got dark."

And there’s plenty of room on the large, undeveloped property, with the drive-in able to accommodate as many as 450 vehicles.

Zorra Township Mayor Marcus Ryan praises the couple for taking on the venture during a pandemic.

"That’s a huge help to people in this time where they’re struggling to get any kind of sense of normalcy to be able to say, 'Something old is literally new again and I can take my kid, my grandkid back and show them a movie at the place where I saw my first movie,' or whatever. It’s really rewarding to the community."

The couple hopes to being screening movies at the drive-in once again by Canada Day weekend.

"We’ve kind of lost quite a bit over the last three months," said Shaw. "This is taking something a little bit back for us all."