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Beginning with THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) and ALADDIN (1992) this Friday and Saturday
[Lehighton, Pennsylvania, August 2024] – The Mahoning Drive-In Theater, located on Seneca Road in Lehighton, has been granted rare access to the Disney animation film library this year, beginning with a 35mm double feature of THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) and ALADDIN (1992) this Friday and Saturday, August 23rd and 24th.Gates will open at 6pm each night, with Disney memorabilia and a scavenger hunt for attendees courtesy of The Big Kid Store, caricature artist Kate Santee and more preshow fun, with films starting at sundown.
“We’re thrilled to be able to bring back the experience of families sharing the fun of Disney’s classic animated films on the big screen, something many of us grew up with, but has been missing from the cinematic landscape for too long,” said Virgil Cardamone, operator and film booker, “This was a show that our late owner and mentor, Jeff Mattox, was super excited about, the plan being to work our way backward through Disney history as we go.”
In addition to the films each night, The Mahoning will welcome toy and memorabilia seller The Big Kid Store on the lot, selling vintage Disney and LITTLE MERMAID/ALADDIN merchandise, as well as hosting a scavenger hunt for patrons between the 6pm gate time and show time (approximately 8:20 each night), along with customer favorite caricature artist Kate Santee, a live DJ set, and more themed fun.
“We always try to make every night an event at the Mahoning, giving customers a unique experience they’ll long remember, much in the way we all remember the trips to the Drive-In of our youth,” said Mahoning General Manager Mark Nelson, who began, like so many on the theater’s staff, as a customer at the venue. “For the convenience of customers with less endurance or earlier bedtimes, we’ll be swapping the order of the films between the two nights, to allow for folks to see their fave up front, if they so choose, with ALADDIN playing first on Friday and THE LITTLE MERMAID staring the night on Saturday.
Cardamone said that the Mahoning has over 60 screenings left in the season, which wraps up the last weekend in October. Among the highlights of the next month are events featuring best-selling author Grady Hendrix (HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE, THE FINAL GIRLS SUPPROT GROUP) and films tied to his upcoming book (Sept. 6-7), Italian film composer Fabio Frizzi (THE BEYOND) performing his score to the horror classic ZOMBI (1979) live along with the film on the big screen (Sept. 8), iconic filmmaker John Waters in person for two nights of his films and meeting fans (Sept. 27-28), a weekend with MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000’s Joel Hodgson and his favorite episodes of the classic series (and two 35mm films he selected and will introduce, Oct. 4-5), and more.
“We’re getting into the home stretch now of locking in as-yet-unannounced shows for October, and soon all will be revealed!”, laughs Cardamone. “It’s a fun balancing act of crafting fun events like “Walt’s Animation Vault” that caters to local families and film fans, against the horror and cult programming that made us who we are. We try to provide classic films and genres for all ages throughout our annual six-month season, and hope that somewhere in there, we hit everyone’s “I CAN’T MISS THAT!” button, causing the Google Maps searches for Lehighton to spike every summer.”
The Mahoning is the only Drive-In theater in the country whose programming is comprised entirely of 35mm classic films, and it’s unique programming and showmanship has made it the subject of many news pieces and two major documentaries, AT THE DRIVE-IN in 2017 (detailing the theater’s initial struggle in going against the digital, first-run grain), and featured in the French Max documentary UNDER THE STARS, alongside five other unique outdoor theaters across the country.
A full list of events and ticket links can be found at www.mahoningdit.com or on their Facebook page.
Anyone interested in learning more about the theater, featured press, scheduling tours may contact Virgil Cardamone directly at (215)-450-5914.
About the Mahoning Drive-In Theater: The Mahoning Drive-In Theater is located at 635 Seneca Road west of Lehighton, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1947, and opened for its first season in 1949. Since then, it has entertained moviegoers for over half a century on the largest CinemaScope screen in Pennsylvania! The theater has experienced many successes over the past few years, but their goal will never change: To deliver a true love of film, filmmaking, and the nostalgic moviegoing experience you can only get at the Drive-In! More information available at www.mahoningdit.com and www.facebook.com/mahoningdriveintheater .
Information provided to TVL by:
Carbon Chamber & Economic Development
