Status: The Sunset Drive-In is now a vacant lot, and is for sale. (Waterwinterwonderland.com 1/6/03)

Update: This Drive-in closed in 1988, The last movie I remember seeing there was "Dont Go In the House", and that was in the Summer of 87. Some of my all time favorite movies, to this day, were viewed by my young eyes (pre-teen) there. Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. Two movies soooo meant for that big screen., I remember when I was young there was a cross on top of the projection building. Between 1971 and 1975 Trinity Lutheran Church hled fairly succesfull drive-in, early sunday, services there. (Waterwinterwonderland.com/Chazz Miner 5/2/05)

Update: In June 1977, arson was suspected in a $50,000 early morning fire that destroyed the Sunset. The 24x60-foot screen collapsed in flames before firefighters arrived. A separate fire 200 yards away in the projection and concession building caused only slight damage. The theater reopened with a new screen 9 days later. No further info, sorry. In June 1984, six minors were ticketed in the beginning of a crackdown on illegal drinking at the theater. In an incident a week earlier, two city police officers were surrounded and had to dodge beer cans thrown at them. As many as 1,500 people in their mid-teens to early 20s were at the theater on Wednesdays, when admission was only $1.50. Capt. Pat Dean said half of the crowd were "kids less than 21" and that police saw kegs and fleeing youth, and had to dump "a numerous quantity" of beer. About 10 uniformed officers and some undercover officers patrolled that night, and an unmarked cruiser was pelted with stones. By the next Wednesday, drinking had been banned by theater management. The Sunset's last summer of operation was 1988. (Andrew Wilson 10/18/07)

Update: The Sunset Movie Theater of Midland was an incredible place for me when I was growing up. At home we only had a black and white TV but we could see color movies at the Sunset. We would bring brown paper grocery bags filled with popcorn and my parents would park our station wagon backwards with the tailgate down so us kids could lay on blankets and watch the movies. We would arrive while it was still light out and play on the swingset and other playground equipment at the base of the screen until dusk. When the movie, The Love Bug, came out, there was a Volkswagon Beetle painted exactly like the movie car parked out front at the entrance of the theater. It may have been one of the actual movie cars for all I know. Back then there were only limited copies of a movie made and they would travel a circuit so it is possible that the car went with the movie reel. I had joined the Marines and moved away after I graduated high school so I was not around when they closed the theater. It was a sad day when I returned to town many years later and found an empty lot where this great theater had been. (Waterwinterwonderland.com/Jeff Ross 7/27/09)

Update: The Sunset site was found to be for sale online for $300,000. Description: "Vacant land that is priced right. Former drive-in theatre." Property Type: Industrial - Property Sub-type: Warehouse - Property Use Type: Investment - Lot Size: 28.50 AC - Tax ID / APN #: 14-24-20-346 & 14-24-20-3. The listing can be found here: http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/16175272/4705-Bay-City-Road-Midland-MI/ (Michigandriveins.com 10/10/10)