WINNIPEG -- Drive-in movie fans rejoice. A drive-in theatre in Manitoba that has been out of commission for the past several years is coming back this summer.
The Shamrock Drive-in in Killarney, Man., has been closed since 2015 when a storm ripped through the area and knocked down their movie screen.
But thanks to some newly purchased shipping containers, the drive-in is once again ready for operation.
"We were finally at a stage where we could look at the drive-in again and work on that and we came up with the idea quite some time ago actually, of possibly using the shipping containers," said Joanne Struss, who is the co-owner of the drive-in.
She said they didn't originally plan to have a five-year delay in reopening the drive-in but said they couldn't find anyone who was able to fix the screen.
"We just didn't have any takers, for whatever reason," she said. "When we found a used projector somewhere, we took that insurance money along with a bit of our own finances, as well as stuff that was fundraised in 2015 and bought a projector instead."
Struss added the problem that originally developed was the screen came down around the same time her family was building their house so the drive-in had to be put on hold.
She said the plan was always to get the theatre up and running again and when they found the shipping containers, they knew that was the direction they were heading.
"We thought it would be a little bit more stable plus offering some great storage space. We just liked the setup of it; we liked the weight of it."
Source: Joanne Struss
Struss said they bought four shipping containers and stacked them three high with one in the back to provide some stability.
"We're an extremely windy place and our containers are unfortunately running north to south and those west winds coming at us can be very strong."
She said when the containers were put up, it was a very windy day, and her husband Darren sat outside in his car just watching to make sure they didn't fall over.
Struss said one day, they hope to double the width of the containers and then make it taller as well, but she added this was the perfect way to start.
The plan is to open the drive-in in July and Struss said her entire family is excited to get it reopened.
"It's a big relief, because you do feel like you have let people down when you have to pause and wait and ask people to be patient and it was very hard," she said. "It feels really good to be up and running again. Well, almost."
