WESTBROOK – The Prides Corner Drive-In, a piece of Westbrook stuck in time, needs a new, $70,000 projector in order to survive.

WESTBROOK – The Prides Corner Drive-In is a piece of Westbrook stuck in time.

From owner Andrew Tevanian’s original Volkswagen Beetle to the price of soda ($1.75 for a medium) to the photos of scenes from the theater’s past posted on the concession stand, it’s not hard to believe the drive-in is celebrating it’s 60th year in operation.

But that celebration is overshadowed by concerns of what the future holds for the drive-in as 35 millimeter film is discarded for all-digital screenings, which require a new, $70,000 projector.

“We’re up against a sign of the times, everything’s based on dollars and cents now,” said Tevanian. “We’re not going to beg, borrow or steal [to raise the money]. We’re going to do what we’ve always done and provide quality entertainment. Come on down and see a movie.”

Tevanian said the Route 302 theater has no plans, as of yet, for a specific fundraiser. In the concession stand, tickets for a 50/50 raffle are on sale, with half of the profit from the $1 tickets earmarked for the theater and the other going to the winner. There also are $15 T-shirts for sale.

Instead, he hopes to encourage the community and families from all over to take a step back in time.

“It’s been a very romantic, fun spot for over 60 years, building families. Kids have their first awkward handholding experience or their first awkward kiss, the first time they borrow dad’s car. Come do what mom and dad used to do and get reminiscent of a time gone by,” Tevanian said.

Tevanian has spent his life at the movies. His father built the Prides Corner Drive-In, along with leasing two others. Now, as his father approaches his 87th birthday, Tevanian has taken over the Westbrook theater and his brother, John, is in charge of the Bridgton Twin Drive-In. The theaters Tevanian’s father leased in Windham and Kennebunk are now closed.

“Originally, they were looking at putting the theater in downtown, where Rowe Ford is. If we had gone that way, we would have been closed in the ‘80s. The ‘80s claimed a lot of drive-ins,” said Tevanian.

While the introduction of premium cable channels and other at-home movie-watching outlets were once seen as a competitor to the drive-ins, Tevanian said that’s not necessarily the case anymore.

“People engage in those type of things in-house, but people need to get out and get some fresh air,” he said.

The Tevanian family began building the drive-in 1952, and by 1953, the first cars were driving into the 500-vehicle capacity dirt lot.

Originally there were a few kid rides near the theater’s screen, including a swing set, Ferris wheel and slide. Poles separated two parking spaces and on each pole was a speaker, hung from the car window so passengers could hear the film. In the colder months, a warmer was also added to the poles and cold cars – or as Tevanian put it, “for guys who didn’t have a girl with them” – could keep comfortable.

Now, vehicles come with their own surround-sound speakers and seat warmers.

But the movies have remained the same, always arriving on 35-mm reels. The case has changed through the years. Originally the films came in steel cases. Now, they arrive in orange packages, to cut down on the cost of shipping. Each film is between six and eight reels, with approximately 25 minutes per reel. Each reel is larger in diameter than your average classroom globe. The cases, even with the new, lighter packaging, aren’t easy to lift.

By fall, however, the reels become obsolete. The film industry will release movies to theaters digitally on hard drives, and that will require a digital projector. That $70,000 could be more than the theater may be able to bear.

There are only five drive-in theaters left in Maine. The Saco Drive-In is facing a similar dilemma, as manager Ry Russell, 23, tries to raise the funds for a digital projector.

“This is where I grew up, this is where my girlfriend and I met, this place means something to me,” Russell said in a recent interview. “I am passionate about saving it and I will do everything I can to keep it going.”

Tevanian said most of the money from the price of the $15 per-car entrance fee goes toward renting the newest summer blockbusters. Money for the new digital projector is coming from the concession stand, where the most expensive item on the menu is a $6.25 pizza. It would take 11,200 pizzas to purchase the projector.

Tevanian said he still sees signs of the heyday of the theater: on a nice day when people show up early to play Frisbee and walk their dog, or when families put out blankets and spend the evening watching the silver screen.

And he’s keeping the family tradition alive. Tevanian’s two sons sometimes help him out at the drive-in on the weekends.

After two weeks of being open, Tevanian is optimistic the theater will be able to raise the money. So far he’s seen about 300 cars per weekend and he expects more as the season progresses.

“It’s a good time, it’s wholesome fun for the whole family. This is the show business,” Tevanian said.

“It’s been a very romantic, fun spot for over 60 years,” says Andrew Tevanian, owner of the Prides Corner Drive-In. But the theater must soon purchase a new $70,000 projector to screen the latest movies. Photos by Rich Obrey

The low-tech projection room at the Prides Corner Drive-In is dominated by the 35mm projector.