A Johnstown Legacy: Memories and History of the Silver Drive-In in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
I remember my first trip to a drive-in theater, The Silver Drive-In in Johnstown, PA, or at least the first one I can remember. We went to see Pocahontas. I have countless memories of the drive-in—the concession stand, pulling into our parking spot, setting up pillows and sleeping bags, chasing my siblings as the sun set, fighting to stay awake, and finally hearing the chorus of honking horns as everyone lined up to head home. Most weekends, getting out of the parking lot was an hour-long process.
It was a familiar place, and my siblings and I would spend the entire week begging our mother to take us. The funny thing is that, up until high school, Pocahontas is the only movie I actually remember watching. Maybe I just didn’t care for the others, or maybe those nights at the drive-in were never really about the movie at all.
The Silver Drive-In in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, one of the last remaining drive-in theaters in Pennsylvania, opened in 1950. The original owners eventually sold it to County Amusement in the early 1970s. After briefly closing in 2003, the drive-in was purchased and reopened in 2005.
Not long afterward, the Silver faced another challenge when developers proposed building a strip mall on the property. Thanks to strong public support, county supervisors voted against the zoning change, preserving one of Johnstown’s most beloved landmarks.
Another obstacle arrived in 2011 when the film industry transitioned away from 35mm movie reels. Distributing films on hard drives was cheaper, but digital projectors cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Like many independent drive-ins, the Silver found itself fighting for survival once again. An attempt to win a projector through Honda’s Project Drive-In campaign fell short, but the attention generated by the effort increased attendance and ultimately allowed the owner to finance the conversion himself.
Then came COVID-19. Ironically, the pandemic brought renewed interest to drive-ins. Ticket sales increased as people searched for safe ways to enjoy a night out, but strict regulations affected concession operations, and Hollywood delays meant fewer new releases. I visited the Silver during that time to see Ghostbusters, and turnout was incredible. I don’t know how well the theater performed financially, but I’m happy to say it weathered yet another storm and remains open today.
My most recent trip was just this past weekend to see Toy Story 5 with my two-year-old son. Watching him enjoy many of the same things I loved as a child—the memorabilia in the concession stand, climbing on the speaker stands, the snacks, and, of course, the movie—made me realize how little has changed.
Looking back, drive-ins feel special. Maybe it’s nostalgia. Or maybe there’s something timeless about spending a summer evening under the stars with family and friends. In an age of streaming services and endless entertainment options, places like the Silver remind us that some experiences simply can’t be replicated.
Perhaps that’s why the Silver Drive-In has survived for more than seventy-five years. It was never just about the movies. It was about memories. And maybe that’s enough to give drive-ins a future after all.
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