12 hours ago
Movie-obsessed couple take insane $1M gamble to restore America's oldest drive-in theater
When film buffs Matt McClanahan and Lauren McChesney learned that their beloved local drive-in might be swallowed up by developers, they didn't hesitate to act.
The couple emptied their savings, drained their retirement accounts, and signed on for a whopping $1 million loan to save it.
The prize? Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre in Orefield, Pennsylvania – the oldest operating drive-in in the world, which first lit up the silver screen back in 1934.
For McClanahan, 35, it wasn't just business. 'It was a very personal connection, because I grew up coming here, so I had that drive to preserve a piece of my own childhood,' he told CNBC.
To clinch the deal in 2022, the couple scraped together everything they could, from family contributions to their own retirement funds.
McChesney, 41, even walked away from her career in health care to throw herself into the business full-time.
'I thought it was going to feel a lot scarier to give up my previous career,' she told CNBC. 'But as soon as I made that shift, it all just fell into place and made sense to me.'
Their boldness wasn't without pressure. As McChesney put it: 'Because it's historic, because it's so special, there is that added pressure that we have to be successful with this.'
McClanahan and McChesney's romance itself sounds like something out of a rom-com: they met when he tore her ticket at another drive-in he used to manage.
'He took my ticket, and we started dating maybe a year after that,' McChesney said. Today, they're not only business partners but also engaged to be married.
Their joint mission was to breathe new life into Shankweiler's while keeping its vintage magic intact.
'Shankweiler's was a quiet backyard theater. It existed to play the movies for its neighborhood, and that was really it. We're trying to elevate that and bring it to another level,' McClanahan said.
Operating America's oldest drive-in doesn't come cheap. McClanahan admitted the finances can feel like a revolving door: 'You have a ton of money going in, and then a ton of money going right back out.'
To cover bills and loan payments, they've had to run year-round instead of seasonally.
'Since we had all these payments and we had to start paying our loan and we have bills, we had to be open year-round,' McChesney said.
It hasn't been easy – but blockbuster nights and community events keep the dream alive.
To lure crowds beyond summer, the couple has got creative. Valentine's Day saw 'Date Night at the Drive-In' with charcuterie boards and cocktails, while their annual Halloween trunk-or-treat has become a local favorite.
As McClanahan put it: 'There's a lot of things in addition to the movies that customers have to look forward to when they come to our theater. It's more than the movies. It's a whole night.'
And when the lights go down, the payoff, he said, is priceless
'When the movies are playing and you're watching hundreds of people share this amazing experience, and they're having a great time and everyone's happy, it's like that weight is just lifted and you realize this is why we're doing it.
'The community is coming together in this space, and we're facilitating something really special.'
