Sunset Drive-In opens after second setback

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - The Sunset Drive-In in Shinnston has had its share of issues this year, but the summer time staple is getting ready to welcome back guests.

One of those issues was that the drive-in was broken into.

Owner John Ellis said they took a lot of items from the projector room, even some unexpected things.

“They took my coffee machine! A little five cup coffee machine. It was 20 years old! They took it!”

This vandalism caused the opening day to be set back three weeks.

After a successful opening weekend the drive-in hit another setback.

On their second weekend, Ellis went to start the movie and things didn’t go as planned.

“I went through the opening progression and nothing.”

Ellis discovered a problem with the projector machine.

He made a plea on Facebook to find someone who could help fix the projector.

In a last-ditch effort, they thought they found a temporary fix the night of the movie but it wasn’t meant to be.

“That night I went and turned it on and it started but then it was staying at half power and I was just short of banging my head on the machine,” said Ellis.

After getting some help the Ellis’s were put in contact with another drive-in owner from Ohio who knows how to work on these machines.

“It only took him about an hour and 15 minutes and he didn’t even have to bring in a box of tools or anything. I don’t know if it was wishful thinking on my brother’s and mine part but, we looked at it and said does that look better? and he says yah that looks a little better,” said Ellis.

Now that the projector is fixed the Ellis brother’s are keeping their fingers crossed the drive-in will be full of movie goers for the holiday weekend.

“Knock on wood, this is the third time around. Third time’s the charm and we are staying with that and away we go,” said Ellis.

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