By Dave Dahl
One of the few forms of entertainment permitted outside your house these days is the drive-in theater, and the one in Springfield was ready to go for its season opener Friday night.
Modifications at Route 66 Drive-In included cars occupying only every other space, online ticketing, concession purchases via app, and single movies rather than double features — to reduce trips to the restroom. The Friday showings of Trolls World Tour and The Invisible Man sold out.
“You take the right steps; a phone call to the governor’s office did not do anything,” said Doug Knight, who also owns the adjacent driving range, miniature golf course, and water park. “I decided to write him a letter, and at the same time I wrote a letter to two senators and two representatives, so them knocking on his door seemed to help a lot.”
“We’ve been coming (here) since he was in diapers,” said Jennifer Evans of Taylorville, mother of an adult special-needs son. “It’s just easier for us to go to the drive-in than to go to the theatre, and we wanted to see Trolls 2, so why not?”
Back to Knight, he hopes he is able to open the rest of his complex June 1, if Gov. JB Pritzker approves.
“He’s definitely running Knight’s Action Park right now, there’s no doubt about that,” Knight said, a little ruefully, “as well as everybody else’s business. So we are hoping for the best. If sunshine and warm weather kills this (coronavirus) off, I’m willing to do my part in making that happen.”
The drive-in will be open seven days a week through the summer.
