Most drive-in theaters that survived the digital conversion did so by converting. This one didn't, largely because its owners couldn't justify the six-figure cost of a digital projector for a screen that only operates seasonally.
Instead, they kept the film projectors running, sourcing prints through a shrinking network of distributors still willing to strike film copies for the handful of venues still asking for them.
Threading a projector nobody makes parts for anymore
Keeping the equipment running means the owners have become, out of necessity, amateur projector mechanics — sourcing replacement parts from other closing drive-ins, and learning repairs that used to be handled by manufacturer technicians who no longer exist.
Attendance has held steady, driven partly by nostalgia and partly by a younger audience discovering film projection for the first time. The owners say they'll keep threading reels for as long as prints are still available to book.