News Article: Announcement was made by Arthur D Chipman and his son Russell of Greenville of the grand opening Thursday, June 18, of the new Ionia Drive-In Theater. The new open air theater is located south of Ionia on M-66 opposite of the Ionia County Airport. 350 cars can be accomodated, with scientific location of parking spaces so that every car will command a full view of the 50 x 54 foot screen. The picture and sound system is fully modern and the Motiograph sound system with eight miles of underground wiring provides each car with seperate loud speakers and its own volume control. The theater, one of three operated by the firm, features a concession stand serving all the popular items, and four changes of program weekly with the pictures starting at dusk. According to Russell Chipman the season is for about 13 weeks during the summer. Visitors are welcome at any time prior to the Thursday opening. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard 6/16/53)

News Article: Drive-In Theater Opens Here Tonight - The formal opening of the Ionia Drive-In Theatre, located three miles south of Ionia on M-66, will take place with a special Technicolor premier. Owners Arthur Chipman and Russell A. Chipman report that construction work has been completed on the new $50,000 structure, and two outstanding Technicolor features have been obtained for the opening only. Featured will be Allen Young and Dinah Shore in "Aaron Slick from Pumpkin Creek" and Sterling Hayden and Forest Tucker in "The Flaming Feather." Show starts at dusk. R. A Chipman pointed out advantages of the drive-in theatre includes a concession stand at popular prices, an individual speaker in every car, children under 12 free with parents and the fact that customers can see a complete showstarting as late as 10:30pm. Everyone is urged to "come as they are", without bothering to dress up. Policy of the new theatre will be to operate 7 nights a week, rain or fair, with a special midnight show on Saturdays. (Ionia County News 6/18/53)

News Article: Capacity Crowc At Ionia Drive-In On Opening Night - Ionia's Drive-In theater opened Thursday night with a capacity crowd of about 350 cars, according to Arthur D. Chipman of Greenville. Chipman was "well pleased" with the opening. The theater is south of Ionia on M-66 near the Ionia county airport. Chipman said spraying the area had about eliminated the bug and mosquito problem for the opening. The theater is not complete, but construction will be finished as quickly as possible, said Chipman. (Ionia News 6/19/53)

News Article: High Wind Cause $40,000 Damage at Ionia Drive-In. Wind Loss Also in Other Area. Severe winds and thunder storms lashed out at Ionia county during the night and early Tuesday morning with considerable damage reported. Most of the wind damage occured about 3 a.m. with the damage being concentrated in a one mile strip from the drive-in theater on M-66 south to the Bennett road. An estimated $40,000 damage was caused to the Ionia drive-in theater, it was reported by the owner, Arthur Chipman. The large screen was hurled to the ground crushing the ticket booth and a number of speakers were also destroyed. Chipman said the screen had withstood eighty mile winds before and could not understand how anything less that a tornado could have done the damage which was caused. The large poles supporting the screen were twisted at the base... (Ionia Sentinel Standard 6/18/57)

News Article: Wind and Rain Lash County Early Tuesday - Three separate wind storms lashed Ionia County Monday Evening June 17 and early Tuesday morning causing estimated damages to run into many thousands of dollars. The most severely hit was a section west of M-66 south of Ionia between Tuttle and Bennett roads, when a wind and rain storm struck about 4am on Tuesday. Pictured here, top, is Russ Chipman owner of the Ionia Drive in Theatre, which suffered the greatest loss of the storm, as he stands near the sign which describes the condition of the giant screen at the drive-in. The bottom scene shows the scattered debris from the screen strewn over the area. Chipman reported the damaged might amount to over the $20,000 figure, including the loss of the screen, damage to the ticket office and a number of speaker units which were damaged... (Ionia County News 6/20/57)

Update: Drive-In to Open with Free Show - Ionia Drive-In Theater, located south of Ionia on M-66 near the Ionia County airport will have it's grand re-opening Thursday Night. Everyone will be admitted free of charge on the opening night according to Russell Chipman co-owner. The first show will start at 7:30 and everyone is requested to be there early to avoid the rush. Big or little, tall of short, the Chipman's want everyone to come as their guests. Two full length pictures and a Cinemascope cartoon, all in color will feature the grand re-opening. The first picture is "Prize of Gold" with Richard Widemark, and the second is a horse racing story "Blue Blood." Ionia open air theater goers had a short season last year when the large screen was destroyed by wind shortly after the theater opened in the spring. After being closed all summer it re-opened on September 15 with one of the newest and most modern screens in the state. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard 4/2/58)

Status: Gone,site is now a K-Mart (Michigandriveins.com 9/98)

Update: Wasn't where K-mart is, but a half mile to the south on the same side of M-66. A small motel was moved there shortly after the theater closed in about 1984. More recently, a modular home sales took over the rest of the lot. Rural Gas was the next driveway to the north and the airport was across the road. Sorry, no pictures, but if terra server ever re-loads the 1988 Spin-2 images, the car ramps were still visable. (Les Hale 10/12/99)

Update: It closed in 1985. (Aaron 11/6/05)

Update: The Ionia opened with the "box" screen in 1953 which measured 50(W) x 54(H) and I have not found a photo of that screen. In 1956 the grand re-opening ad from April 13th mentions a new "cinemascope" (my term, I don't have the ad in front of me) screen that is "the largest in Ionia County!" 1957 the steel screen was erected, according to one article it could show a picture 85 x 40 and was 54 feet high, it is mentioned either in an article or ad that the 57 screen was larger than the one destroyed. That makes three screens in five years. The Chipmans owned three DI's in the area The Ionia, the Greenville and one other. After the tornado/wind storm knocked down the Ionia, The Chipman's ould give a free soda to anyone who came to the Greenville and could prove that they were from Ionia. There is a great ad that I need to scan for the Greenville that shows the "Gone with the wind" marquee. The Chipmans owned the Ionia until sometime in the early 70's. Land Platt maps say the owner from 1973 until it closed was the "Howell Theatre Co." The original wood tower was supposed to be able to withstand 80 mile an hour winds. The steel tower could withstand 90 mile an hour winds. (Andrew Wilson 8/17/07)