Drive-in movie screen toppled
<p>The ticket stand of the Midway Drive-in was all that remained standing on Thursday as crews worked on removing debris. (Aaric Bryan/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
The Midway Drive-in outdoor movie theater, a landmark at the intersection of U.S. 2 and Montana 40 since 1952, is gone for good.
The iconic big screen and other facilities at the defunct drive-in were torn down earlier this week, reportedly to make way for a new Murdoch’s Home & Ranch Supply store.
Murdoch’s officials couldn’t be reached for details on the building project.
The property is unzoned and lies within Columbia Falls’ planning jurisdiction, but Columbia Falls City Manager Susan Nicosia said the city had not received any notification of the purported building project.
The Midway screen was pulled down on Tuesday. To watch a video of the process, go to www.facebook.com/Dailyinterlake.
For decades the drive-in was the epicenter of family fun with cars piled full of children — some in their pajamas — and their parents. It also was a gathering spot for teens and adults.
Drive-in movie theaters were all the rage when the Midway opened in the early 1950s. But by the time it closed six years ago, it was one of the last remaining outdoor movie screens in Montana.
The facility closed as a drive-in theater in 2009 because of a contaminated water supply. At that time Signature Theatres owned the Midway.
The site was used for a couple of summers as an outdoor flea market, but has not been occupied for some time. The 10-acre site west of the Blue Moon is a prime commercial corner at one of the Flathead Valley’s busiest intersections.