The Michigan Drive-In Theatre Timeline is a year-by-year listings of drive-in openings, 
closings and events detailing the rise and fall of the 140-plus drive-in theatres 
that once operated in the State of Michigan. Also included are significant historical
events relating to Michigan, the automotive industry and some of Hollywoods offerings. 

1960
The beautiful new Miracle Mile Drive-In opens in Pontiac.
The Spire in Hale and the Stadium in Grand Rapids close.

1961
The 5-Mile in Dowagiac opens, it remains open in 2004.

1963
The Galaxy opens in Madison Heights. The South Dort opens in Flint, it was
built to replace the Dort, which was demolished to make way for the Dort Mall.
The South Dort's big screen would eventually be split into two screens and 
get transplanted to the US-23, where they stand today. The Town in Redford
closes and is demolished to make way for a Korvettes department store. The 
owners planned to built a new Town Drive-In, but never did.

1964
A late comer to the drive-in party arrives in '64. Destined to be Michigan's premier
drive-in, the Capri Drive-In is opened in Coldwater by John Magocs. The Capri's 
design is a copy of Detroit's Holiday Drive-In.

1964
Ushering in a new era of Detroit built iron, Ford Motor Company introduces its new 
Dearborn built Mustang "Ponycar", which would pace the Indy 500 in May and appear in 
the 1964 007 flick, "Goldfinger". Meanwhile, across town in Pontiac, GM unleashes the 
first "Musclecar", the Pontiac GTO. Woodward Ave. would never be the same.

1965
Another of the few built in the 1960's, the University Drive-In opens in 
Ann Arbor. A Showcase Cinemas indoor theatre now stands on it's grave.

Mid-60's
James Bond and Clint Eastwood Westerns were popular drive-in movies in the 60's

1966
The Willow opens in Belleville. The Dixie in Monroe, which was 
renamed the Starlite in 1965, closes. The North Flint also closes, 
the lot is destined to be home to a now-closed K-Mart.

1967
The M-37 Drive-In opens in White Cloud. Jack Loeks Theaters purchases 
the NK Drive-In in Muskegon and renames it the "Getty Drive-In".

1968
The Galaxy Drive-In near Detroit loses a significant portion of it's field to the 
newly constructed I-696 Expressway. Oddly, this 10-mile long section of 696 doesn't
open to traffic until 1979. The Galaxy hangs on until 1986.

Steve McQueen's classic "Bullitt" debuts in October 1968.
The Detroit Tigers win the World Series.

1969
It's a big year for twin-screen drive-in's, as National Amusements opens the 
very modern M-78 Twin in East Lansing and the Cascade Twin in Grand Rapids. The 
Cascade is the very first drive-in in the state with multiple screens, a trend 
that will continue as some drive-in's built as single screen theatres add second 
and third screens. Jack Loeks Theaters opens the single screen Woodland in Grand 
Rapids. The Starlite near Marlette closes for good in 1969.

1969
The new Michigan International Speedway near Jackson holds it's first Nascar race 
in June 1969, won by Cale Yarborough in a Mercury Cyclone. The 1,400 acre site 
boasts a 2-mile wide high-speed D-shaped oval. MIS was nearly lost in 1971 when the
owners when bankrupt. Fortunutely is was saved by racing magnate Roger Penske and 
is now one of stock car racings most popular tracks.

NEXT: 1970's