Iconic KCK drive-in theater opens for 74th season. See what it takes for the show to go on

One of the signs that warmer weather is imminent can be seen on Merriam Lane in Kansas City, Kansas.

It’s the marquee for the Boulevard Drive-In, which opens today.

Earlier in the week, manager Brian Neal and his “outdoor guy” Craig Douglas scrambled up the sign with a bucket full of plastic letters spelling out “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”—the theater’s first feature of the year.

This year, Brian’s grandfather, Wes Neal, watched them work from the sidelines. The longtime “face” of the Boulevard, Wes is 96 now. So he’s not as involved in the day-to-day as he was throughout nearly all of the Boulevard’s 74 seasons.

But he still has opinions.

“You see that post back there on the end? I wouldn’t have it leaning over like that,” Wes deadpans as he points to one of the hundreds of posts holding the theater’s in-car speakers. “Nearly every day somebody will hit a speaker. And it’s amazing that more don’t get hit because cars are parked right next to each other everywhere..”

Even though the movie’s audio can be tuned in through an FM radio band, many people still use the old-school drive-in speakers. And keeping 625 of them working despite wasps, weather and errant autos is a constant challenge for anyone.

But those big cans of film that once fed the projector are gone. In 2011, the Boulevard became the first American drive-in to convert to 4K Video. Luckily, Brian’s a digital wizard who works his magic inside the booth. He’s even digitized those classic animations that have been sending people to the concession stand for decades.

Though he considers himself a movie buff, Brian says his many duties on show nights means he almost never sees a whole film.

He hopes the newest “Ghostbusters” will be the kind of family friendly title to draw a crowd despite the fact that it’s only April.

“If you have small kids, they don’t sit in the indoor theaters really well,” Neal says. “So it’s okay if they run around or if they’re a little fidgety here at a drive in. The parents can talk, they can watch a new movie.... it’s more of a social thing than it is just going to watch the movie.”

Boulevard Drive-In Theatre is located at 1051 Merriam Lane in Kansas City, Kansas.

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