News Article: Drive-In Booth At Fair Plugs New Heaters - The William G.Jenkins father and son of Adrian, Mich., and the staffers of their Sky Drive-In started drumming for business in December, and the other winter months, during the hot days of August! The Jenkinses maintained a booth, a section of which is shown in the accompanying photo, at the Lenawee County fair. Before the week-long exhibition was over, almost everyone in the county knew of the coming attractions at the Sky Drive-In, and that new more comfortable heaters were being installed at the airer. The Sky has been on year-round operation four years, being one of the first outdoorers in Michigan to install in-car heaters. Now the airer becomes one of the first to replace its outmoded heaters. Fair crowds were informed that 220 700-watt Hot Shot Eprad in-car heaters are being installed to give the wintertime showgoers the latest in drive-in car comfort. Attracting the eyes of passersby were two large distortion mirrors, one making the image tall and the other fat. Sample merchandise was promoted from several Adrian merchants which the "Sky Hostess", a comely staffer, gave away. These included over 2,000 minature loaves of bread. Also on display at the booth, with signs, were several minature cars laoned by a car supply store. Music and annoucements about the drive-in were recorded on tape and fed through a regular post-mounted speaker. One Eprad heater was kept attached throughout the week. The staffers enjoyed the extracurricular activity. (Boxoffice Magazine 1950's)

News Article: Mr. and Mrs. Bill Jenkins of the Sky Drive-In in Adrian, were in town distributing brilliantly colored calendars announcing their gas station and grocery. The keep several irons in the fire. (Boxoffice Magazine 5/58)

News Article: William S. Jenkins installed 300 car heaters in the Sky Drive-In at Adrian. (Boxoffice Magazine 4/59)

Status: Gone, site is vacant. (Michigandriveins.com 9/98)

Update: A recent site inspection reveals that a go-kart track is on the site, utilizing what may possibly the old concession stand (remodeled) and road sign. There is also a sign that appears to be an old entrance (or exit) sign by the street near what appears to be the remnants of an old driveway. (Waterwinterwonderland.com 4/19/03)

Update: Site is now a mini-strip mall. The original playground equipment included a Rocket that kids could climb into. It was sold to a fireworks company on Sterns Rd. just north of Ohio state line near US-23. It's still there. Theater closed in the late 1980's. I went there in my first car circa 1985-1987. (Mark Shirley 1/16/04)

Update: Enclosed is a picture of the Sky Drive in from Adrian. Picture was taken by Oscar Matterson who was projectionist from 1964 to 1984. This shot was from June 1981 after a fresh coat of flat white and battleship grey was applied. Oscar loaned me this picture and claims he has more if he can find them. I hope the quality is decent enough to use; I just installed my first computer last week and this is the first photo I have sent in this manner. There was another drive in theatre in Adrian just a mile east of the Sky named the Hilltop Drive in. It was at the southwest corner of US 223 and Ogden Hwy and operated from 1948 to 1955, and is now displaced by the Palmyra speedway (a go cart track). This was before my time as I was born in 1957, but from my understanding was a rather simple affair with a blowspeaker. The Sky won out with its big 40 X 80 screen and in car speakers. Incidently, the rocket ship mentioned on your page that was moved to a fireworks store is just out of range of this picture; it was far right on the playground. (Dennis Gibbs 2/9/04)

Photo Update: Here's one last current shot of the Sky Drive-in lot in Adrian, being developed into a mall. That white sign box by the roadside was the last piece of the Sky and was removed this past week. The glass from it was missing for 15 years, and said "Jim N Ees Entrance". The front power pole was just in front of the screen. (Dennis Gibbs 7/15/06)

News Article: Changing lifestyles signal the death of the drive-in - Home videos help speed the demise - Down at the Sky, the summer wind rattles a piece of aluminum siding nailed near the entryway. This is the hollow sound of death: kerr-thump, kerr-thump, kerr-thump. And the Sky is unmistakenly the land of the dead. The wide screen that once reflected movies to the masses of car-bound viewers is full of gaping holes. Poles that used to boost sound boxes to automobile windows tilt uncertainly in the gray afternoon. Sprawled acoss the drive-in lot, they look like the crosses in Arlington Cemetery. Near the entry gate, a ticket booth shaped like a trolley car quietly falls to pieces. And in the center of the lot, a concession stand sits, locked and boarded. No popcorn tonight. The Sky folded long ago, foreshadowing the end of an American tradition. Read more...... (Adrian Daily Telegram/Dennis Gibbs 10/1/06)

Obituary: O’FALLON, Mo. — William C. Jenkins, age 79, of O’Fallon, Mo., formerly of Adrian, passed away Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010. He was born June 5, 1931, in Lima, Ohio, to William G. and Dorothy (Frickenstein) Jenkins. He attended Adrian High School and Georgia Military Academy. He studied music at Northwestern University and later earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toledo in 1954. In 1952, he married Virginia “Ginny” Caterina. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1952 and served on active duty with the 23rd Infantry Regiment as an A&R Officer from 1954 to 1956. He was the band director at Adrian Catholic Central in 1954. He managed theater and entertainment businesses in Adrian for 22 years, including The Studio South and Sky Drive In movie theaters, Goofy Golf and Gaslight Billiard Lounge. He later relocated to Las Vegas, Nev., where he was involved in hotel management and retail businesses. He was a longstanding member of the Adrian Rotary Club and Las Vegas Rotary and also received the Paul Harris Award. Upon retirement in 2005, Bill and Ginny, his wife of 55 years, relocated to O’Fallon, Mo. He enjoyed playing the marimba, entertaining and performing his “Bill Show” at senior centers and other venues. Since relocating to O’Fallon, he was active at St. Barnabas the Apostle Catholic Church and more recently at the Senior Center in St. Peters, Mo. Survivors include four children, his son, Joseph (Mekilah) Jenkins and daughter, Sarah (Doug) Hartung both of Adrian; daughter Gina (Kenneth) Beach of O’Fallon, Mo.; and son William (LaRae) Jenkins of Las Vegas, Nev. Also surviving are his brother Donald Jenkins and his stepmother, Rosa B. Jenkins, both of Adrian, and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia “Ginny” Caterina Jenkins, parents and one brother, Robert “Pinky” Jenkins. There will be a Celebration of Life Mass 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, with Father Dave Hudgins officiating. Friends may gather at Father Williams Hall immediately following the Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to the organization of your choice or the American Cancer Society. (The Daily Telegram 9/30/10)