The Sussex Drive-In Is About More Than Just Movies Now
SUSSEX – Some businesses dealt with difficult times during the pandemic, but for the Sussex Drive-In, it was a different story.
Owner Don Monahan says business boomed last summer and they’re off to a good start again this year. One of the advantages was viewing movies from vehicles that were parked six feet apart.
“It was a very safe environment to view and host live entertainment and watch movies of course,” he said. “We did thrive, but we also offered live entertainment in 2020. We did four live shows and that allowed us to pivot in a new direction.”
The live shows and old films help bridge them to a time when they had new releases again.
“One of the biggest factors in 2020 was that we didn’t have any new movies, so we played a lot of oldies and a lot of vintage and we were able to stumble along until August when we got some new content, so that was a bit of an obstacle for business,” he said.
Monahan has high hopes that the Drive-in will continue to thrive, and he believes the transition away from just movies is going to be a benefit.
“New content is being released on a weekly basis, the numbers are up. [We’re] very ecstatic about the results thus far. We have had a mixed season in 2021 and we are looking forward to doing other types of activities and events,” he said.
“We’re definitely all about trying new things and trying to reinvent ourselves at the same time…We did our first antique car show, we did an antique tractor show. We had a book launch, so we are all about trying new things.”
Looking to the future, Monahan has the vision to grow the business that’s centrally located between Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John.
“With all of the new activities, we want our location, our venue, to be viewed as a social and economic hub for the community. We’re more than just about playing movies,” he said. “We want to continue down that path. I have some ideas and strategies once we are post-Covid in 2022 to potentially bring in larger musical artists when we are not restricted by borders or car count. I can have a much bigger event.”
Tara Clow in the news director with 91.9 The Bend in Moncton, a Huddle content partner.