I was so excited this morning to read that the Bangor Drive-In Theater will reopen this summer! For anyone too young to remember, Bangor used to have a theater where you could watch movies from the privacy of your vehicle. And now, the sound will be even better!

Cinema Bangor LLC plans to open the drive-in on Outer Hammond Street this summer. The company has been in the business of movie theaters in the Bangor region for many, many years. I know this because I used to work for patriarch Sidney Epstein at the Brewer Cinemas many years ago. Yes, Brewer used to have a movie complex in what is now the Hannaford parking lot.

Drive-ins are a dying breed, with the cost of switching to digital technology too much for many to bear. But that gives the revitalization of the Bangor Drive-in a bit of a leg up. See, they're not upgrading from old technology. They'll start out with the new stuff!

One of the biggest challenges with the drive-in experience was always the sound. I mean, they had these funky speakers that you hung on your window, and they never worked right. The speakers were often hit by parking cars and so the sound was often so garbled that you couldn't understand what was being said. The new Drive-in will feed the sound through your radio. That way, provided you have A/C, you can keep your windows shut and the bugs out!

Drive-ins were always great for families, because you could take the kids along, and they wouldn't bother anyone but you. Throw a few blankets and pillows in the car, some snacks in a cooler, and you had a fun and affordable evening out for the family. And, if the kids got tired, they could curl up and sleep!

I'm very excited to see the July 1st reopening of the Bangor Drive-in, on Outer Hammond Street. Let the snow go away so we can start watching movies from the car!

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