NORTHFIELD — Steven Wiggin has many a childhood memory of visiting the Northfield Drive-In with his parents. Now, he and his wife, Julia, can create their own memories of the historic theater, but this time as owners.
The Wiggins, from Winchester, New Hampshire, purchased the business and property from longtime owner Mitchell Shakour on April 17, and hope to open by Memorial Day weekend, as has been tradition.
The Wiggins have lived next to the drive-in for about 20 years. Like the drive-in, their property is in two states.
“It’s literally right in our backyard,” Julia Wiggin said of the Northfield Drive-In.
She said she and Steven Wiggin have a “wonderful relationship” with the former owners, and that the Shakours wanted to sell the property to someone who would continue the drive-in’s legacy.
Julia Wiggin said her husband had been interested in taking over the drive-in for years, and asked Shakour to let him know if he planned to sell the business. Once word got out that he was looking to sell, Steven followed up and the deal came together. According to a deed filed with the Cheshire County Registry of Deeds, the sale price was $349,000. The 15-acre property spans the Massachusetts-New Hampshire state line.
Though the couple plans to open the drive-in by Memorial Day weekend, Julia Wiggin said “it’s not going to be a typical season” due to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis.
“We have gotten the OK for opening, but there are many needed precautions,” she explained.
The Wiggins will propose a plan for opening in accordance with the health safety guidelines set by the New Hampshire governor and town of Winchester in that state. Depending on what the social distancing restrictions are when the theater opens, they may have to restrict attendance.
The theater, which fits about 400 vehicles, may have to max out at 200, or one per post, Julia Wiggin said. During a typical season, attendees would tailgate at their vehicles and sit outside in lawn chairs. This year, they may have to stay in their vehicles. Additionally, children will not have access to the playground.
To learn more about operating the business and the feasibility of opening for the season, the Wiggins have been meeting with other drive-in owners across the country using the videoconferencing platform Zoom. The pandemic and closure of most indoor movie theaters have seen a string of delays in movie releases. The Wiggins are working with other drive-in owners to find out what films they can access and screen.
“We are all trying to figure out how we can do this,” Julia Wiggin said.
Drive-in theaters can be a gathering spot for people while allowing for social distancing guidelines to remain in place and further limit the spread of COVID-19. Media outlets across the country have been reporting drive-in theaters have been experiencing increased attendance during the pandemic. A report in the New York Post last week noted that drive-ins may be poised for a comeback, especially if states allow them to open while indoor movie theaters remain closed.
While drive-in theaters are not considered essential businesses in New Hampshire or Massachusetts, the emergency orders issued by governors of both states closing non-essential businesses are currently set to expire May 4. There is a chance this could be extended.
Some ideas for promoting health safety include only showing one movie on the weekends, instead of the traditional double feature. Julia Wiggin said anyone staying for more than two or three hours will likely need to access the bathrooms, and a single feature would help limit the number of people using the restrooms, as well as help with lasting sanitation.
The Wiggins may also employ “carhops” to take orders from vehicles and bring concessions to patrons, so as to avoid crowding at the snack bar. Traditionally, the drive-in has operated as a cash-only business, but the Wiggins are planning to install methods for debit and credit card, or no-touch payment options.
In addition to planning for its normal season, the theater may be the location of graduation ceremonies for Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield and New Hampshire’s Hinsdale High School. Julia Wiggin said that six schools in the last four days have inquired about drive-in graduation ceremonies. These events are tentatively scheduled for June and will see families seated in their vehicles during commencement.
The Shakours purchased the drive-in, which is one of the oldest in the country, from the original owner, Carl Nillman, in the late 1960s. Nillman opened the theater in 1948. During the offseason about six years ago, the Shakours made several upgrades to the facility, including installing a digital projector.
Mitchell Shakour, who took over after his father, Gabriel Shakour, died in 1986, ran the business as a “labor of love” with his wife, Carla, and his two children, Gabriel and Lili, according to the business’s website. In a Facebook post announcing the sale, the Shakours thanked patrons for their decades of support.
“With each passing summer we’ve seen kids move from the back to the front seat, people get married, and some even start coming with kids of their own,” reads the post. “It was a tough decision to step away from the drive-in business, but we are glad to see the magical movie moments under the stars continue into the foreseeable future.”